Health insurance is mandatory for everyone in the Netherlands, including your baby. You do not pay a premium for your child. However, you must register it with your health insurer within four months of the birth. If your baby is registered too late, you must pay the healthcare costs.
Register your baby with your health insurance
Registering your baby with your health insurance is often easy to do. You can usually do this via the telephone or website of your health insurer. While writing your baby, keep your child’s details and your policy at hand. You will need these. After registering your baby, pay close attention to whether you receive a policy schedule for your baby.
The same health insurance as you
You can decide for yourself whether your baby is added to your health insurance policy or to that of your partner. It is wise to register your child with the parent with the most comprehensive health insurance. Your baby will receive the same health insurance as the parent. It is credited to. He, therefore, only has supplementary insurance if you also have one. You also do not pay a premium for supplemental insurance for your baby. The same applies to free choice of care.
Free choice of care for baby
Not all health insurance policies give you a completely free choice of health care. This means you cannot choose where or by whom you want to be treated with every health insurer. Indeed, with a budget policy, you have fewer options to choose from. If your insurer does not have an appointment with a healthcare provider, the treatment will not be fully reimbursed. Usually, the insurer will only reimburse up to 75% of the costs.
Your baby has the same free care choice as the parent with whom it is registered.
Additional health insurance for your child
It is wise to register your child with the parent with the most comprehensive health insurance. Your child can also use the extra coverage from that additional care package. Think of costs for alternative medicine (such as homeopathy and acupuncture) or medical assistance abroad above the maximum rate applicable in the Netherlands (this is the case, for example, in America and Switzerland).
Does your baby need additional health insurance?
As your baby gets older or if you have older children, the following additional coverages may also be of interest:
- Orthodontics. For example, the costs for crowns, bridges, and braces.
- Glasses and contact lenses. The basic insurance only partially covers these costs.
Your healthcare costs around childbirth and afterward
There are several costs surrounding your delivery and the first year after your delivery that are not covered in the primary insurance but that you can (partly) insure additionally:
- Maternity care. The personal contribution for maternity care of €4.70 per hour (2022).
- Hospital delivery. The personal contribution for a hospital birth without medical necessity is usually around €357.84.
- Physiotherapy. For example, if you suffer from pelvic instability. Physiotherapy for pregnancy incontinence or loss of urine after childbirth is reimbursed from the primary insurance.
- Lactation care. This includes a breastfeeding course and a fee for renting or buying a breast pump.
- Recovery after delivery. A program to get fit again after pregnancy
Special supplementary insurance for families
Many health insurers offer supplementary insurance policies specifically aimed at families. These packages cover healthcare costs that are more common in (young) families, including expenses related to pregnancy and birth.
This does not mean that ‘family insurance’ is always the best solution. This is because there may be covers that you do not need but for which you do pay a premium. Family insurance does not mean you and your partner have to choose the same. Usually, this is not even wise. Everyone has different care needs. So always check this out carefully.
Baby health insurance tips
The tips below are helpful when choosing health insurance for your baby.
- Register your baby within four months. If you register your baby later, you will pay the healthcare costs incurred yourself.
- Register your baby with the most comprehensive health insurance. Your baby will receive the duplicate reimbursements as the parent it is credited to. Also, keep in mind the free choice of care.
- When choosing, keep your wishes in mind. Family insurance is not always cheaper. It depends on what care you need.
- Other health insurance than a partner. Your partner does not have to take out the same health insurance as you. For example, your partner can only take out basic insurance, but you can choose to take out additional insurance with as much coverage as possible during the pregnancy.
- Compare health insurance policies. Comparing health insurance policies can save hundreds of euros per year. This is possible, for example, with Independent.
