Fewer and fewer Dutch people are opting for additional health insurance – Kassa

In recent years, there has been a steady decline in the number of people opting for additional coverage with their health insurance, reports NU.nl. This trend is probably caused by the continuous increase in health insurance premiums, which means that eliminating extra packages for, for example, glasses or physiotherapy can be an attractive saving.

According to data from Vektis, an organization that collects data from insurers, fewer and fewer Dutch people are opting for supplementary health insurance. Currently, 81.5 percent of all insured people have taken out a supplementary package, compared to 82.5 percent last year. A few years ago, more than 90 percent of policyholders took out a supplementary package.

A decline in the choice of additional packages is partly due to people’s desire to cut back on their monthly expenses. In addition, the premiums for additional insurance are often comparable to the reimbursements offered for items such as glasses or physiotherapy. As a result, it is not always worthwhile to have additional insurance.

At the same time, the premium for basic insurance increases annually. This year, the Dutch will pay an average of 1,747 euros per year, which is 103 euros more than the previous year. By saving on additional packages, people can keep their health insurance costs within limits.

In previous years, some consumers have saved costs on their health insurance by voluntarily increasing their deductible. They choose to pay a higher deductible for medical costs within their insurance than the standard amount of 385 euros, in exchange for a premium discount.

It is striking that the choice for a voluntary increase in the deductible has become less popular this year. The percentage of policyholders who have opted for this is even the lowest since 2018, at 12.7 percent. One of the reasons for this is that insurers are offering less premium discounts this year.