The 2026 deductible is EUR 385, and the GP is outside it

One of the most expensive misunderstandings new arrivals bring to the Dutch system is the belief that seeing a doctor means paying the first EUR 385 yourself, so a small complaint gets postponed. The opposite is true. A consultation with the huisarts, the family doctor who is the entry point to Dutch healthcare, does not touch the deductible at all. The compulsory deductible for 2026 is EUR 385 and applies to everyone aged 18 and over on the basic insurance, but the government page lists a whole set of care that sits outside it: the huisarts, midwifery and maternity care, chain care for type 2 diabetes, COPD and cardiovascular risk, district nursing, follow-up care and travel after organ donation, and all care for children under 18. The front door is free; the deductible starts once you are referred onward.

• Exempt from the deductible: the huisarts, midwifery and maternity care, chain care for type 2 diabetes, COPD and cardiovascular risk, district nursing, and all care for under-18s. (source 1)
• Voluntary extra: you may add EUR 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 in exchange for a lower monthly premium. At the maximum, a bad year costs EUR 885 out of pocket.
• The threshold appears after a referral. Blood work ordered by the huisarts, a specialist appointment and imaging are what draw on the EUR 385.
• The deductible resets on 1 January. Something done in late December and something done in early January fall in different years.

Hokimi field note: whether to take a voluntary extra comes down to one sum. Multiply the monthly premium saving by twelve and set it against the extra EUR 500 you would carry. If a year of savings does not reach EUR 500, you are betting on staying well. Someone stable who has barely touched the deductible in two years can take that bet; anyone with a chronic condition or planning a pregnancy should leave it alone.