Each basic health insurance plan is different and may also differ in price. The government determines each year what healthcare belongs in the basic package. Health insurers can choose exactly how they build the basic package. So even though the basic package is the same for everyone, there may be slight differences in:

• The monthly amount you pay.

• Which hospitals or other healthcare providers you can go to. This depends on the agreements your health insurance company makes with healthcare providers, such as hospitals.

• Some health insurance policies offer something extra in the basic package. For example, some insurances target young people and offer reimbursement for contraception.

• Some health insurance companies are very easy to contact, but some insurers are less easy to contact.

Choose supplementary insurance that covers healthcare you use a lot. This is because supplementary insurance pays for healthcare that is not included in your basic package. For example, you can choose supplementary insurance that pays for physical therapy or dental care.

You can find out ahead of time whether the higher premium costs more than the treatment. For example, if you have few problems with your teeth, it is sometimes better to pay for the dentist yourself than to buy insurance for this. If you have a lot of problems with your teeth, it is sometimes cheaper to take out supplementary insurance.

Every year, health insurance companies announce their policies for the next year in November. So you can see exactly what each health insurer offers and how much it costs each month.

Are you going to compare health insurance companies? If so, there are a number of websites that can help. The 2 biggest comparison websites are Independer and Zorgkiezer. These are commercial websites and they are not independent. Still, the websites can help you well.