For many people, health care costs are a major expense that recur monthly or annually. Fortunately, there are several ways to save on healthcare costs. And that does NOT include increasing the deductible. So how do you save? This is how you save on health insurance.
Unlike countries like America, having health insurance is mandatory for every resident of this country. This concerns a basic insurance, which covers care from the basic package. The government determines what is included in the basic package, but in principle the general practitioner, psychiatrist and pharmacy are paid from this.
The basic insurance also applies to children. It is important to take out basic insurance for a maximum of four months after the birth of your child. Until your child is 18 years old, however, you do not have to pay an insurance premium or deductible.
The cost of health insurance increases every year. This causes headaches in many households. Not surprising, because the amounts that you have to pay monthly can be quite expensive. Although health insurance is expensive, there are various tips to save on these costs.
Did you know that it pays off if you compare the different health insurance policies every year? Compare the insurance for each family member individually, because sometimes it is cheaper to place everyone with a different company. There are various health insurance policies that are favorable for young people and other insurance policies that have extensive coverage.
Depending on your own wishes and requirements, you can choose an insurance policy that suits you best. Don't forget to read the fine print and include the extra tips below in your final decision before making the switch.
You can switch to another health insurer between 12 November and 31 December each year. Because figuring out the best and cheapest health insurance can be quite a bit of work, it is wise to start early enough. It can also be useful to use a comparison site.
Many people think that it is a big saving if you increase your deductible. A higher deductible seems to be an easy choice for many people who rarely get sick. However, it is not wise to increase the deductible. The compulsory deductible is 385 euros. You can increase this to a maximum of 800 euros.
If you look at the monthly costs, the monthly premium decreases if you opt for a higher risk. It is often a few euros. Do you really want to save? In that case, in any case, do not increase your deductible, unless you have a spare pot on hand for healthcare costs incurred.
Why does raising the deductible not save money? Very simple. Even if you do not need the doctor for years, the moment you have an accident or end up in hospital, for example, you will first have to pay all costs up to the maximum deductible out of your own pocket. In a normal case you pay a maximum of 385 euros. If your deductible is 800 euros, then you must first pay this amount out of your own pocket before anything is reimbursed.
As you can see, it now suddenly concerns a difference of a few hundred euros that you suddenly have to put on the table. So it is cheaper to pay a few euros extra every month and not run any risk. Unfortunately, you can never guarantee that nothing will happen to you or that you will remain healthy.
For many people, there is great confusion when choosing supplementary insurance. Not surprising, because the insurers can certainly not be called transparent in that regard. As far as additions are concerned, you have to work very accurately to save optimally. So first make a good list of what you will definitely need in terms of healthcare costs. If you suffer from shoulders and neck, it is wise to look at physio. This also applies to glasses or the dentist.
Dental costs are covered by the supplementary insurance. Unfortunately, it is often the case that additional insurance for the dentist is often not as favorable as it seems. This is because a maximum is reimbursed for dental costs. In addition, it is often the case that treatments are only reimbursed up to a certain percentage, while you spend ten(s) more euros on healthcare premium per month.
Before taking out additional insurance for dental costs, it is therefore good to see what you need. Online you will find the rates that a dentist may charge for certain activities. If you have 1 – 2 cavities and want to do a six-monthly check-up, it is in most cases cheaper to pay for this out of your own pocket instead of taking out additional insurance. In addition, a maximum reimbursement often applies and then you have to pay yourself anyway.
To see whether you need this supplement, you can look at the costs and percentages that are reimbursed. Look at the extra costs that this insurance entails. And compare this with the actual expected dental costs.
What has been described above for the dentist does not entirely apply to braces and orthodontists. The costs for braces can quickly add up to a few thousand euros. However, you can also save on health insurance costs here if you compare all the companies. Also keep in mind that the costs that insurance pay can vary enormously, as can the waiting times.
Although the basic insurance for young people is free, the costs for braces are not included. You will therefore have to pay for this yourself. This is only deviated from if there is a medical reason why your child cannot do without braces (this has to do with genetic abnormalities, for example).
Are you a spectacle wearer? Then you could insure the costs for new glasses with supplementary insurance. Unfortunately, in practice it appears that the monthly contribution for this supplement is often higher than the costs for purchasing glasses yourself. Especially if you look at the offers that come by, among others, Hans Anders and Pearle, for example.
The following also applies here:calculate what you have to pay extra per month in premium (often you can not only take glasses as an extra supplement, but various other things fall under this) and how much is reimbursed. Then look at what your own needs are when it comes to glasses. Don't need very strong glasses? Do you not care if your glasses are not a brand? Then it is usually cheaper to simply purchase glasses at your own expense instead of taking out additional insurance.
What many people also do not know is that care allowance exists. And if people already know about this, they think that the health care allowance is only for young people. However, that is not true. You are entitled to health care allowance as long as you earn less than 31,138 euros per year (this amount can vary per year, so keep this in mind. If you have an allowance partner? Then you can earn a maximum of 39,979 euros per year together. In addition, your assets may not exceed are then 118,479 or if you have a partner 149,819 euros.
It is therefore certainly not the case that only young people are entitled to care allowance. If you earn less than EUR 2594 per month and have less assets, you can also apply for health care allowance. The amount of the healthcare allowance does depend on your income.
Because the health insurance does not cover everything, it is wise to set aside the total amount of deductible each month. This means that you try to set aside about 30 euros per month per person. If you do not use your entire deductible for that year, you can transfer the saved amount to the next year.
Of course, this is not feasible for everyone. To perhaps generate some extra money for your own healthcare costs, you could, for example, sell clothing and toys that you no longer use on Marktplaats, Vinted or on Marketplace (via Facebook).
