Dutch healthcare information
First line of contact: the general practitioner
In the Netherlands, the general practitioner (GP) (in Dutch: ‘huisarts’) is your first contact for all medical matters. They are considered medical specialists who have received 6 years of medical education and three years of specialist training/residency. This makes them educated and skilled to provide care in different areas of medicine. Unlike some other countries, in order to go to a specialist at the hospital or to a psychologist, you need a referral from your GP. This way the GP can also be a guide for you to find the right medical help.
The Dutch healthcare system
Healthcare in the Netherlands is based on two main principles:
- Accessible, high quality healthcare for everyone
- Solidarity through medical insurance.
Medical insurance is compulsory for everyone living or working in the Netherlands. Standard insurance covers all essential healthcare. The cover of standard insurance is determined by the government and consequently is the same at every healthcare insurance company. Examples of essential healthcare covered by the standard insurance package are visits and treatments by the general practitioner, pharmaceuticals, hospital bills and pregnancy care. When using standard insurance, you first have to pay the deductible excess (in Dutch: ‘eigen risico’), which is a minimum of 385 euros per year. Only after having paid this amount, the insurance companies will reimburse additional costs.
Not all healthcare is covered with the standard package. Additional insurance is optional and can be customised. Examples of this are physical therapy and dental care.
Insurance companies play quite a big role in the healthcare system in the Netherlands. They sign contracts with different healthcare institutes in order to keep an eye on the quality of care provided and also to keep the healthcare accessible to the people insured.
Mental healthcare
Mental health support is widely available in the Netherlands. As discussed above, if you have mental health problems, your GP is your first point of contact. They work together with a general practice mental health worker. If your GP and the general practice mental health worker deem your mental health problems too complex, they may refer you to primary (bGGZ) or secondary mental healthcare (sGGZ). Secondary mental healthcare is intended for people with more complex psychiatric problems.
Additional resources
Do you want to know more about Dutch healthcare?
Please visit the website of the government or National Health Care Institute.
For more information about the role of a GP in the Netherlands visit thuisarts.nl.
For more information on health insurance visit zorgwijzer.nl.
