What is the eigen risico?
The eigen risico (literally "own risk") is the yearly deductible in Dutch health insurance. In English it is also called the excess.
Everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must have basic health insurance (basisverzekering). You pay a monthly premium for it. On top of that, you pay the first part of your care costs yourself each calendar year. That first part is the eigen risico.
Eigen risico 2026: €385
- The mandatory eigen risico for 2026 is €385 per year.
- It applies to everyone aged 18 and over.
- Children under 18 pay no eigen risico and no premium, but they must still be insured.
- It counts per calendar year. On 1 January you start again at €385.
You rarely pay it at the counter. Usually the hospital or pharmacy sends the bill to your insurer. The insurer pays and later charges you your share. Once you have paid €385 in a year, the insurer pays the rest of your covered care for that year.
What counts toward the deductible and what is exempt
Most care from the basic package counts toward the deductible. Typical examples are hospital care, a medical specialist, medicines, blood tests and the hospital emergency department (spoedeisende hulp).
The government lists this care from the basic package as exempt:
- the huisarts (GP), including the huisartsenpost (out-of-hours GP service)
- midwife care (verloskundige) and maternity care (kraamzorg)
- district nursing (wijkverpleging)
- chain care for type 2 diabetes, COPD and cardiovascular risk (ketenzorg)
- follow-up checks and travel costs after organ donation
- the combined lifestyle intervention (GLI)
Your insurer may also exempt certain care providers, programmes, medicines or aids, such as a stop-smoking programme. Check the policy conditions of your own insurer.
A common surprise: the GP visit is free, but what follows it may not be. If your GP orders blood tests, prescribes medicine or refers you to a hospital, those costs can count toward your deductible. Our guide on finding a GP in the Netherlands explains how GP care works.
Eigen risico vs eigen bijdrage
The eigen bijdrage is a separate co-payment. The government sets it for some care, aids and medicines. You pay it even when your deductible is used up. Unlike the deductible, you cannot raise it to get a lower premium.
Examples for 2026 from the government:
- maternity care at home: €5.70 per hour
- hearing aids (age 18 and over): 25% of the cost
- a full removable denture: 25% of the cost
- orthopaedic or allergy-free shoes: €67.50 per pair up to age 16, €135 per pair from 16
Eigen bijdrage medicijnen
Some medicines cost more than the basic package reimburses. You pay the difference yourself, the eigen bijdrage medicijnen. In 2026 you pay no more than €250 of it. Depending on your insurer, you pay it at the pharmacy or get a bill later. The reimbursed part of the same medicine can still count toward your eigen risico, so for one medicine you can pay both.
Voluntary excess (vrijwillig eigen risico): a lower premium for more risk
You can raise your deductible by €100, €200, €300, €400 or €500. In return, your insurer gives you a lower monthly premium. With the maximum, your total deductible is €885 (€385 + €500).
This only pays off if you rarely need care and can pay €885 at once. One hospital treatment can cost far more than the premium you saved in a year.
Paying it and getting help with costs
- Instalments. If €385 at once is too much, ask your insurer for a payment arrangement. You then pay it in instalments (termijnen).
- Healthcare benefit. With a low income, you may get zorgtoeslag from the Belastingdienst. It is not automatic: you must apply. See our zorgtoeslag guide.
- Tax deduction. Some specific healthcare costs can be deducted from your income tax. Costs that fall under your eigen risico cannot.
- Your gemeente. Many municipalities offer a collective health insurance for people with a low income, or bijzondere bijstand (special assistance) for necessary costs. The conditions differ per gemeente.
Comparing insurers is not only about the premium. Exemptions and contracted pharmacies also change what you pay later in the year. For the basic package as a whole, read Dutch health insurance basics.
The eigen risico in the KNM exam
Health and healthcare (Gezondheid en gezondheidszorg) is one of the eight themes of the KNM exam. The questions ask about rules and facts. For example: who do you contact when you are ill, and which care does your insurance pay for? Knowing that a GP visit does not use your eigen risico but a hospital visit does is that kind of everyday knowledge. Practise with our KNM practice questions.