Once again, DSW is the first Dutch health insurance company to announce their monthly premiums for the year, giving the public an indication of what they can expect for their health insurance costs in 2022. Customers at DSW will see their basic insurance rise to 127,75 euros a month.
Health insurance companies had already indicated that prices would rise in the new year as a result of additional healthcare costs brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. While the Dutch government announced on Prinsjesdag that the average monthly premiums would increase by 2,75 euros, this figure did not take higher healthcare salaries into account.
Keeping this mind, DSW has said their basic monthly premium will increase by 3,25 euros, from 124,50 euros a month to 127,75 euros a month. The company has also attributed this price increase to the regular use of more expensive medicines, and raised concerns about the “feasibility of care” in 2022.
“There are waiting lists [for care] and that is worrying,” DSW chief Aad de Groot told NOS. “But we do not expect that much catch-up care will be able to take place, because the staff are not available."
Earlier this year, a number of Dutch politicians raised concerns about rising health insurance costs, saying that higher salaries in the Dutch healthcare sector should not be covered by members of the public but instead by higher taxes for large corporations.
While the cabinet didn’t implement this plan, DSW has said next year’s costs would have been even higher were it not for the government’s coronavirus compensation scheme. Without this much-needed support, De Groot calculates that the monthly premium would have increased by 7,50 euros.
Like last year, DSW is sticking to a deductible excess (eigen risico) of 375 euros. Other insurance companies have until November 12 to announce their premiums for 2022.