First Dutch health insurance provider announces premium increase for 2025
By Simone Jacobs
DSW has once again announced their monthly premiums before the rest of the health insurance companies, giving the public its first view of what to expect for health insurance costs for the Netherlands in 2025. DSW policyholders will see their premiums for the basic insurance package rise by 9,50 euros to 158,50 euros per month.
Insurance premiums rise due to higher Dutch healthcare costs
During the announcement of the government’s plans earlier this month, the health ministry stated that they expect health insurance premiums to rise to an average of 156 euros per month in 2025. The increase planned by DSW to 158,50 euros is in line with the government’s expectations.
According to DSW director Aad de Groot, the premium price hike is down to an increase in the cost of Dutch healthcare. "It is largely caused by the increasing demand for care due to an ageing population, rising wage costs and new treatment methods," said De Groot in a statement.
Affordability of Dutch health insurance under pressure
Making an appeal to the government, DSW urges politicians to make changes to the healthcare system to prevent premiums from rising even further. “The premium for health insurance has been rising for years and is putting the affordability of care under serious pressure,” stated De Groot.
DSW proposes removing most of the market forces in the healthcare system, uniting health insurers instead of creating competition where they all try to offer the lowest possible premiums. According to the insurer, this would “keep healthcare accessible and affordable for everyone in the long term”. To do this, the company recommends reducing the premium that policyholders pay directly to insurers and increasing the amount paid through taxes.
Dutch health insurance providers were criticised earlier this year by the consumers authority (ACM) and healthcare authority (NZa) as they revealed that many residents are overpaying for health insurance. The different policies offered by health insurers are often almost identical but have large price differences, with 61 percent of Dutch residents paying an average of 103 euros more than necessary.
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more