It’s that time of year again to compare health insurance policies. Fun is different, most people think. But Renee van der Burght (35) from Rossum (Gelderland) looks forward to it every year.
Renee van der Burght loves puzzles. Her work in psychiatry is not very analytical, but luckily she can indulge in her spare time. “I find it a challenge to find the cheapest possible, but also the best possible health insurance.”
It doesn’t stop there, energy companies also subject them to a thorough analysis. And holidays. ,,Last year we went to the campsite in Italy. Then I first look up the campsites, filter by facilities, sort by prices and read the reviews.”
From the moment she started living on her own, she chooses her health insurance herself. “It has gotten a little ‘worse’ every year, more and more extensive.” She also likes to find out for her husband and daughter of 2.5 years.
For example, dental insurance is very important to me, because I don’t have such good teeth
At the moment, the family still pays 295 euros per month for all three, next year it will be 264 euros. The difference lies in a different supplementary insurance. Van der Burght first opted for a dental reimbursement of up to 1300 euros, now it is 250 euros.
Everything manually
Van der Burght does not use comparison sites, she does it all manually. First she writes down what she absolutely needs, which can vary from year to year. “For example, dental insurance is very important to me, because I don’t have such good teeth.”
With the last selection of three I always call if I have understood the conditions correctly
She then checks with each insurance what the coverage is, for what percentage and what that costs. She also pays attention to which hospitals she can go to and what falls under the basic package. She also checks customer reviews. ,,With the last selection of three, I always call to make sure I have understood the conditions correctly. Sometimes you read over fine print.”
Miscalculation
Over the years, quite a bit has changed. In the past, Van der Burght, for example, paid attention to the reimbursement of spectacles and reading. ,,Since my eyes were lasered, that is no longer relevant. Now the physio is important, before it was not.”
She is also making different choices with regard to her daughter. “For example, I look at the reimbursement for manual or alternative therapy, if she has to go to the osteopath.”
She has also chosen a period for the highest personal contribution, about 850 euros, so that the monthly costs would be lower. “But since I started having asthma in 2017, I no longer do this because of medication costs.”
I also once had too few therapy sessions in my package. As a result, I had to pay almost 1000 euros out of my own pocket
Despite her thorough approach, even Van der Burght sometimes makes a wrong assessment. For example, she had used her dental insurance low, and her teeth turned out a lot worse during her pregnancy. ,,And I also once had too few therapy sessions in my package. As a result, I had to pay almost 1000 euros out of my own pocket.”
Switched often
She has switched almost every year. This year marks the first time in about six years that she hasn’t. This has to do with the group insurance that she can take out through her employer. A collective insurance saves her 10 percent and that also deducts another 5 percent from the employer’s contribution.
Her main advice? First make sure you are really clear about what you want. And if you don’t understand, just call. The conditions consist of about 16 pages of which you really only need three sentences. When you call you don’t miss anything and you can’t read anything wrong.”
Are you thinking about switching? Five tips
• Do it on time. If it concerns a different policy with the same insurer, you can change this up to and including 31 December. And if you switch to a new insurance company before December 31, it will cancel your old insurance policy. You can cancel your old insurance yourself until 1 January. You can then take out a new one until February 1, then you are insured with retroactive effect from January 1.
• Consider which basic insurance policy you prefer: in-kind policy, reimbursement policy, combination policy or budget policy.
• Think about increasing your deductible. This can result in premium benefits.
• Check with supplementary insurance whether the premium you pay outweighs the reimbursement you receive.
• Health insurers must accept everyone for basic insurance, but not for supplementary policies. Do not switch from supplementary insurance until you are sure that you will be accepted by the new health insurer.
• Take a good look at the contracts with the care providers. Can you go anywhere you want?
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