Dutch health premiums for 2027 rise by 5.50 to 22 euro a month across insurers

Premiums for 2027

Dutch health insurers published their basic premiums for 2027 on Thursday, 12 November, in the final hours before the deadline. Menzis's basic policy costs 165.75 euro a month, a rise of 9.50 euro, while the most chosen basic policy at CZ goes up by 17.26 euro to 177.25 euro. VGZ charges 167.40 euro for Basis Keuze and 170.75 euro for Ruime Keuze, and Zilveren Kruis asks 164.95 euro for Basis Zeker. Nationale Nederlanden, one of the cheapest options last year, now costs 164.45 euro a month, which AD reports is 22 euro more.

Menzis165.75

VGZ Basis Keuze167.4

Zilveren Kruis Basis Zeker164.95

DSW173.25

Nationale Nederlanden164.45

Menzis

165.75 euro per month

VGZ Basis Keuze

167.4 euro per month

Zilveren Kruis Basis Zeker

164.95 euro per month

DSW

173.25 euro per month

Nationale Nederlanden

164.45 euro per month

Data from the article text

Wide gaps and the reserves behind them

DSW, which traditionally publishes first, announced in October a rise of 14.75 euro to 173.25 euro a month, the largest increase it has made so far. Insurers are using their own reserves to soften the increases: Zilveren Kruis will use 230 million euro, Menzis 116 million euro and CZ 20 million euro. Achmea, the parent company of Zilveren Kruis, commits 400 million euro in total to damp increases, including for Interpolis and FBTO. The ministry of Health (VWS) had forecast an average rise of 12.50 euro a month when it presented the budget on Prinsjesdag, and some premiums come in above that figure while others, Menzis among them, fall below it. DSW director Aad de Groot said when the October increase was announced:

“In the eight years I have worked here, I have not experienced an increase this big.”

Menzis9.5

DSW14.75

VGZ Basis Keuze17.5

Nationale Nederlanden22

Menzis

9.5 euro per month

DSW

14.75 euro per month

VGZ Basis Keuze

17.5 euro per month

Nationale Nederlanden

22 euro per month

Data from the article text

Why premiums keep rising

Menzis financial director Dirk Jan Sloots links the increase to care costs that have risen faster than the economy for years. He cites better treatments, more people needing care because of ageing, higher wages in care and inflation. Last year a one-off windfall in the health insurance fund kept premiums nearly flat, and that money is gone now. Sloots said:

“That makes it unavoidable that the premium also rises.”

The own-risk deductible (eigen risico) rises by 15 euro to 400 euro a year, which Sloots called a political choice. At CZ, Joep de Groot says that staffing shortages make the current way of organising care untenable:

“We invest billions in patient care, while earlier support can sometimes prevent problems from growing and people needing care.”

What policyholders can do next

Insurers have until 19 November to publish premiums for their supplementary packages, and some have already announced theirs earlier. Anyone wanting to switch insurer must cancel their current policy by 31 December 2026. AD's key-dates box gives 31 January 2027 as the last day to sign up for a new policy with cover backdated to 1 January, while the article text says 1 February. AD advises waiting until the supplementary premiums are known before comparing policies. Bas Knopperts of the comparison site Independer said he was alarmed by the steep rises and by how large the differences between insurers are.