Health insurance
Tuesday, 29 Nov 2005 | Leaving the Netherlands
Did some research today on being insured while living abroad. Think health insurance, but also stuff like liability insurance (although I think this is something only the Dutch insure themselves for) and perhaps legal assistance. My dad has a really smart rule of not ensuring anything he can pay from a single monthly paycheck, which I kind of adopted after he told me about it.
Turns out that the ‘expat insurance’ I expected to have to get are out of reach for me. These appear to have the condition of employment, which I ofcourse won’t be able to meet at first. In a way this is a good thing, because the expat insurances are really expensive.
Instead, the thing for me seems to be sort of an extended travel insurance. Normal year-round travel insurance like I have now, covers only trips of no more than 90 days and require me to have health insurance in Holland as well. A long term travel insurance seems to be exactly what I need and they’re a really good deal too. They cost less than my current health insurance1 does, but actually cover more2. And they also cover stays in Holland for ‘up to 30 days’. Which I thought was kinda funny.
Sometime next month, I’m meeting with an insurance advisor. What I’m going to look for is health insurance which will cover me while still in Holland for the next 7 months, which can be changed into a ‘travel insurance’ like the one mentioned above and can then later be changed into an expat insurance meant for professionals working abroad.
There is also the option of local insurance. I haven’t looked into that. The cost will most likely be even lower and so I will certainly look at it. But things like coverage while travelling or when staying in Holland are not included.
- Health insurance premiums in Holland are based on your income. The more you make, the less compensation you get from the government. Since I make a reasonable living, I don’t get compensation and so I have to pay a hefty health insurance premium every month. ↩
- One selling point which I found very sad to accept as something worth taking into account is that the cost of repatriation in the event of the passing of a first or second level relative is covered by some insurances. All 4 of my grandparents are still alive, but they unfortunately do not have the gift of eternal life. ↩