Own risk | medication costs | co-payment
What is the deductible for medication and healthcare costs?
In the Netherlands you have to pay healthcare costs. An important part of this is the deductible. This is an amount that you must first pay yourself before the health insurance starts to reimburse. The deductible applies to almost all care from the basic insurance, such as the cost of medication and hospital visits.
How it works?
When you go to the pharmacy for medicines that are reimbursed by the basic insurance, the costs fall under the deductible. This means that you must first pay a portion yourself, until you reach the amount of your deductible. In 2024, this amount is €385. Only if you incur more healthcare costs than this amount will your health insurance start paying.
Exceptions
Not all health care costs are covered by the deductible. For example, visits to the doctor, obstetric care and some forms of care for children under 18 are directly reimbursed by the health insurance. So you don't have to pay a deductible for these.
Why is there a deductible?
The deductible was introduced to make people aware of health care costs. It also helps keep healthcare affordable. If everyone pays a small portion themselves, health insurance premiums can stay lower.
What can you do?
You can choose to voluntarily increase your deductible. This can lower your monthly premium, but you will have to pay more yourself in case of health care costs. It is important to carefully consider what is best for you.
In short, the deductible is an important part of your health insurance. It makes you more aware of healthcare costs, but it also means you have to bear some costs yourself.
Medicine costs: want to know the cost of medicines?
Then look at medicijnkosten.nl. Here you will find information about the reimbursement of medicines. You can see whether a medicine is in the Geneesmiddelen Vergoedingssysteem (GVS) and whether it is reimbursed from the basic health insurance package. You can also check whether you have to pay a supplement or whether there is an alternative medicine without a supplement. The information on this website is updated every month.
Since January 1, 2012, fixed pharmacy fees have expired. Therefore, medicijnkosten.nl now shows the average fee. In practice, this amount may be slightly higher or lower. The amounts listed do not include the fee for the pharmacy prescription.
Fees for dispensing medications
- Here is an overview below (the amount may vary by health insurer):
- For a regular dispensing: about €7.50
- For a first dispensing: a surcharge of about €7.50
- For a preparation: about €23
- For a special preparation: about €125 - Tariffs for the medicine roll:
- For 1 week: about € 18
- For 2 weeks: about €33
- For 3 weeks: about € 50
- For 4 weeks: about € 65
The fees on medicare.nl include 9% VAT, but exclude the prescription line fee. Prescription line fee is the fee for the service of the pharmacy.
The costs for medicines count towards your deductible. Some insurers do not count drug costs for preferred designated drugs (preferred drugs). For this, see the overview below. In 2024, the mandatory deductible is €385.
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Self contribution
For each group of medicines there is a maximum reimbursement from the basic insurance. If the price of a medication exceeds this reimbursement, the insured must pay a portion themselves. In 2024, the maximum amount an insured person must pay in co-payments for medications is €250 per year. On the medicijnkosten.nl you can see what the amount of a co-payment is. As an example this drug: methylphenidate.
