Budget Day leak: Health insurance premiums set to rise €10 to average €169 per month

Health insurance premiums are set to rise again next year. The government expects an increase of at least €10 per month, bringing the average monthly premium to €169, sources told the Telegraaf, citing leaked figures from the Budget Day documents.

Every year on Budget Day, the government announces the estimated premium for basic health insurance for the coming year. This “reference premium” serves as a baseline for government calculations for things like the healthcare allowance.

According to the Telegraaf’s sources, the government estimates that the annual premium for basic health insurance will be €2,028 in 2027, up from €1,908 this year. That translates to €169 per month, about €10 more than this year.

Health insurers set their own premiums, using the government’s reference premium as a guide. So this doesn’t mean that all policyholders will see a €10 per month increase next year. Insurers often choose to draw on their reserves to keep premiums lower. The health insurers announce their premiums after budget day. This year’s deadline for that announcement is November 12.

The D66, VVD, and CDA coalition agreement included a plan to raise the mandatory healthcare deductible by €60 next year. Including indexation, that would bring the total deductible to €455.

However, other leaks from next year’s budget revealed that the Jetten I Cabinet decided to postpone that hike, likely due to a lack of support for the plan in parliament and the Senate. The coalition does not hold a majority of seats in either house, so it needs opposition support to get its plans passed and implemented. According to the Telegraaf, the expectation is that the deductible will remain €395 next year.

The healthcare deductible is an amount per year that people in the Netherlands have to pay out of pocket for treatments. The level of the deductible and health insurance premiums are closely linked. The more healthcare costs patients pay themselves through the deductible, the lower the amount that health insurers need to cover from their premium revenue. So a higher deductible could contribute to a lower monthly premium.