Netherlands/Healthcare

Overall, the Dutch healthcare system has an excellent reputation. The 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index ranked the Netherlands as the 11th best in the world. According to the EC 2023 country health profile, the country boasts an incredible 0.2% of the population reporting unmet medical needs. Expatica also has a general article available here.

But the medical system in the Netherlands works very differently from the US. This page is meant to give US immigrants an overall reference frame for what to expect when seeking healthcare in the Netherlands.

Coverage

In the Netherlands, healthcare is generally seen as a right, not a paid commodity. Access to care for all is prioritized with solidarity through mandatory medical insurance. This reflects the overall societal support seen in other fallbacks like legal minimums for paid time off and paid sick leave. Along with affordable health insurance, you do not have to worry about high medical debts like in the US - which makes you generally less financially vulnerable due to illness.

Health insurance has an average premium cost of €153/month in 2025 and deductible ("eigen risico"/own risk) of €385 per year, unless you choose a higher deductible yourself. Anything above €385 (or your self-chosen deductible) is covered without paying more than your premium. The basic health insurance package is mandatory for every Dutch resident. The minimum coverage in the basic package is determined by the government and is quite broad, including the bulk of essential medical care, medications and medical aids.

Health insurance does not come with your employer! You choose your own health insurance with an insurance company of your liking, where you can also opt for their additional insurance packages for extra coverage. Note that dental care beyond age 18 is always an additional package.

Expatica covers more specific information about Dutch health insurance here.

There are many sites for comparing health insurance companies such as Independer.nl, Zorgverzekering Informatie Centrum, Geld.nl, and Zorgwijzer.nl which can help you find the right plan for your needs.

Government information can be found here.

Practices

Dutch doctors are likely to follow professional guidelines that have a more conservative nature than those in the US, which may require some adjustments for new arrivals. For example, Dutch doctors are extremely cautious about antibiotics resistance, so will be less likely to prescribe antibiotics - especially when suspecting a viral infection, where antibiotics don't help. This is a good thing to reduce the chances of antibiotics resistance, but also leads to the stereotype that they will tell patients to "just take paracetamol" and that getting "actual" medicine/treatment is difficult. (Dutch article about immigrant experiences)

This image is further exacerbated by the fact that several medications that are available over-the-counter in the US are prescription-only in the Netherlands, such as corticosteroid creams or stronger allergy medications. While OTC medication is available at drug stores ("drogist"), prescription medication is only available at formal pharmacies ("apotheek"). Note that cold/flu combination medications common in the US, like Dayquil, Nyquil, and Sudafed, are not available in the Netherlands in general. Instead you'll be advised to use a mix of separate OTC meds, such as paracetamol tablets and a decongestant nasal spray.

Additionally, general annual check-ups (without having a medical condition) are not considered medically necessary and are thus not offered. Public healthcare screenings generally start at a later age than their equivalent screenings in the US. For example, people with a cervix are recommended cervical cancer screening (PAP smears) starting at age 21 in the US versus age 30 in the Netherlands. Requests for annual check-ups or earlier screenings are not likely to be honored by Dutch doctors, unless there are additional medical reasons.

Organization

The Dutch medical system is organized in different tiers of access meant to fit the severity of the health issue at hand:

1. First line: this is self-accessible primary care, where the GP acts as a central coordinator as well as gatekeeper for the other tiers of more specialized care. The GP stays in the loop of all the patient's healthcare needs and determines when care beyond their own practice and other first-line practices (e.g. psychologists, physiotherapists) is needed via referral to a specialist in one of the next tiers.
2. Second line: these are general hospitals and clinics that are able to cover most specialties, and covers all the common patient cases within each specialty. These require GP referral. This might include teaching hospitals where medical interns and residents are trained, as well as some research activities.
3. Third line: these are university medical centers (UMC's) which are directly associated with universities for academic education and research. These also require GP or 2nd line specialist referral. They are able to deal with more complex and/or rare patient cases as doctors tend to be more specific experts within their specialties.

Generally speaking, finding a GP is central, contrary to seeking out a medical specialist directly as is more common in the US. Note that a GP in the Netherlands is more akin to a family physician in the US, with several years of specific primary care training after general medical school. They will be responsible for overall continuance of care and can be relied upon to make the right call when specialized care is needed with the right level of urgency, e.g. triaging for emergency care.

There is also a division between the type of care needed, with different legal backgrounds for who is responsible and how it's financed:

• Somatic healthcare: aimed at ailments and treatments of a primarily physical nature, although this may also include psychological/social support. Mainly performed by hospitals.
• Mental healthcare ("geestelijke gezondheidszorg/ggz"): aimed at ailments and treatments of a primarily mental (psychological and/or psychiatric) nature. Mainly performed by separate mental health practices or clinics. See further down this page for more information.
• Long term care: aimed at chronic ailments and treatments requiring professional care in the patient's home, or in a professional care facility.
• Youth care: aimed at supporting youth growing up safely. Mainly performed by municipalities.

Again, the GP will be the place to start for referral to the right type of care.

Finding a GP

The first step to accessing Dutch healthcare, including trans healthcare, is to register with a GP ("huisarts"). Due to a doctor shortage, it can take some time to find a practice that is accepting patients. Many practices also have postal code restrictions.

The most thorough approach is to use a map to locate every huisartspraktijk (GP office) in the general area (neighborhood up to municipality due to postal code restrictions) of your registered address, then check with each one individually. Some will have websites that say whether they are accepting patients, and may even let you register online, though you may have to call on the phone. Most offices have English speaking staff, if you ask.

Once you register, make an appointment to meet your doctor. This is important for getting to know them and whether they're a good fit for you, and is the right time to explain e.g. that you have a chronic condition, that you need to have your usual medication filled for the first time in the Netherlands, or that you're trans.

It is important to note that many GP's will schedule 10-15 minute appointments per patient/medical issue. This is also due to a general shortage of medical staff. If you think you will need more time, you can ask for a double appointment. You can always ask how long the GP's standard appointments are.

Note: most healthcare professionals should be fine treating trans/queer patients. But if you want to be extra sure, Roze In Wit is a registry of Dutch healthcare professionals (GP's, specialists, psychologists) that explicitly state that they are queer supportive. However, this list doesn't mention if the GP's have space to take on new patients, and as mentioned, specialists will need a GP referral to be seen.

Should you want to start or continue PrEP treatment, this also requires a prescription and is not generally covered by healthcare insurance. Normally the prescription is provided by the GGD (public health services) but the waitlists are long, so some GP's are willing to prescribe PrEP. An English how-to guide including costs is provided here.

Mental healthcare (ggz)

This is organized by the same tiers described above preceeded by the GP's having practice assistants specialized in mental healthcare ("praktijkondersteuner huisarts ggz/POH-GGZ") prior to referrals to 1st line mental healthcare (basic GGZ; outpatient), 2nd line (specialized GGZ) and 3rd line (highly specialized GGZ).

The POH-GGZ is actually very important as a fallback due to long waitlists for referrals to any of these GGZ tiers of care. Although there are so-called "Treeknormen" (Treek norms) for the 1st and 2nd lines of mental healthcare, setting a maximum of 4 weeks for application and 10 weeks for treatment (so 14 weeks in total), the majority of clinics far exceed these waittimes due to being understaffed. 1st line can take several months, while 2nd line can take a year.

These waitlists can be a main motivator to choose a practice not covered by insurance, instead paying out of pocket. Be aware that a sliding scale for this is not commonly offered.

You can find an overview of English speaking therapists here.

Emergency care

Emergencies during a workday are handled by your GP. They can handle most small problems (stitches, for example), and can triage worse problems. When calling your GP, there will always be a way to indicate an emergency and jump the phone line to speak to someone directly.

Outside of working hours, you can contact the nearest "huisartsenpost" or after-hours GP station, similar to an urgent care clinic. This is usually staffed by GPs from the surrounding area and situated in or near a hospital.

If the emergency is outside of their scope, the GP or their assistants will send you to the emergency room. (The after-hours "huisartsenpost" is usually next to an ER just in case.) This is for serious cases where hospital staff are needed. Usually you will need to go through a GP to access this care.

If there is a medical emergency that requires EMTs or an ambulance, call 112. This is the 911 equivalent in the Netherlands. Police, fire, and medical emergencies can be reported through this number.