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Monday, 14 November 2011

Reforms to the healthcare system

Every year the Dutch government reviews the items that have to be included in the statutory basic healthcare package, and this means that regardless of your level of insurance, you are entitled to these healthcare items. For details of this list see: http://www.verzekeringssite.nl/

Dentistry is also changing and providers have to publish their charges up-front so that you can estimate how much a treatment will cost, and choose your provider accordingly. The idea is that if one dentist charges €1000 for a crown, and everyone else charges €500, you can see this immediately, and decide if the extra charge can be justified by a difference in the treatment you may receive.

Be very careful that  you are correctly and adequately insured from day-one of your stay in NL as mistakes can be costly, and the government is cracking down on those who seek to avoid paying for insurance. You will also most likely find that international schemes are not valid, and cannot be used as an excuse for avoiding payment into these schemes!