Mandatory excess

The excess is a mandatory amount that everyone aged 18 and over pays for care from the basic insurance. The government has set the excess and determines the amount each year. In 2023 and also 2024 the mandatory excess is € 385.

Want to check your excess?

You can do so in English in the VGZ app. Go to the VGZ app. Or download the VGZ app.

Check your excess in the VGZ app

Explanation of mandatory excess

In 2023 and in 2024 it is € 385. This means that you pay the first € 385 of healthcare costs from the basic insurance yourself.

The mandatory excess:

  • is only paid for care from the basic insurance
  • applies to every person from the age of 18
  • runs from 1 January to 31 December
  • can be extended with a voluntary excess
  • is the part you pay yourself before we reimburse healthcare costs
  • is charged for the year the treatment takes place (or began)

Care to which excess or no excess applies

  • Most healthcare covered by basic insurance. Examples include:
    • Blood sampling
    • Hospital admissions, treatments and operations
    • Hearing aids
    • Ambulance transport
    Want to check a specific treatment? Look up your healthcare or treatment in the reimbursement overview.

    • Care from your supplementary insurance or dental insurance
    • GP care (this includes the GP out-of-hours service)
    • Obstetric care by a GP, midwife or gynaecologist
    • Maternity care
    • Placing an IUD by a GP or midwife (this does not include the cost of the IUD itself)
    • Preferred medication (you do pay pharmacy fees)
    • Nursing and nursing care
    • Medical aids on loan
    • Preferred drinks (preferred products)
    • The stop-smoking programme
    • Combined lifestyle intervention (CLI)
    • Multidisciplinary care (chain care)
    • Transportation of a donor
    • Care for organ donors

Voluntary increase of excess

You can increase the mandatory excess with a voluntary excess. This can be done with €100, €200, €300, €400 or €500. Should you opt for this, you'll pay less premium. Are you expecting low healthcare costs? If so, this could be advantageous. The same applies to the voluntary excess: after the mandatory excess, you first pay the voluntary excess before we reimburse healthcare costs.

Higher excess? Then you get a discount on your premium

Opting for a voluntary excess? Then you'll get a discount on your premium every month:

  • € 385 (mandatory) excess: no discount
  • € 485 excess: you get € 3 discount per month
  • € 585 excess: you get € 6 discount per month
  • € 685 excess: you get € 9 discount per month
  • € 785 excess: you get € 12 discount per month
  • € 885 excess: you get upto € 17 discount per month

You can adjust your voluntary excess every year from mid-November to Januray 31st at the latest. 

 

Adjust my voluntary excess

Paying your excess

Do you claim healthcare costs yourself? Then we'll deduct the excess from your reimbursement. You'll receive a healthcare expense invoice on this within 4 working days. Does your healthcare provider claim healthcare costs for you? Then we'll pay the healthcare provider. We'll next charge you for the amount included in your excess. You'll receive a healthcare expense invoice for this. This can take up to 90 days.

Paying excess in instalments

The € 385 excess isn't the smallest of amounts. We therefore offer you the option of paying this amount in instalments.

Frequently asked questions

  • For most care, the excess of the year in which your treatment takes place applies. You pay per treatment. If you have a treatment in Verzekeringsjaar, you'll pay the Verzekeringsjaar excess. Hospitals never charge for individual treatments. They collect multiple treatments in a package (DBC). A DBC ends when your treatment is finished or after a maximum of 120 days. When calculating the excess, we look at the start date of the DBC. Does your treatment take longer than 120 days? Then a follow-up DBC will start. Is the start date of the follow-up DBC in a new year? Then you'll also pay excess again in the new year. You can ask your healthcare provider when a follow-up DBC begins.

    Example 1

    You'll see a medical specialist in December $name. At that point, the DBC starts. You had surgery in January Verzekeringsjaar. These costs are included in the $name excess.

    Example 2

    You had surgery in September $name. In January Verzekeringsjaar, you'll have to return to the hospital for a follow-up check-up. The specialist starts a new DBC as there are more than 120 days between these two events. You'll pay the $name excess for the operation. For the follow-up check-up, you'll pay the Verzekeringsjaar excess.

  • In that case, the mandatory excess applies from the first day of the calendar month after your 18th birthday.

    Example

    You turn 18 on 14 October. From 1 November, the excess applies. The amount of the mandatory excess is then € 64,34 for the rest of the year (€ 385 x 61/365 = € 64,34). In other words, for November and December.