Medical help needed due to corona: this reimburses the health insurance

Please note: the situation surrounding the coronavirus changes daily. For the most up-to-date information, visit the RIVM website.

Will I be reimbursed under the basic insurance if I have to quarantine? And am I still insured if I am referred to another (non-contracted) hospital, because my regular hospital is full? To provide people with more clarity about this, comparison site Independer made an overview of the most common questions and answers about corona and health insurance.

I am sick and afraid I am infected. What should I do?

You probably just have a cold or flu. When you do need to contact your GP (by telephone):

• If you have a fever with respiratory symptoms, such as cough, shortness of breath or pneumonia;​
• You have been in an area where corona has been diagnosed in the past two weeks;
• You have been in contact with a patient with the new coronavirus in the past two weeks.

Do any of the above points apply to you? Please contact your GP by telephone to discuss what you can do.

Also keep the website of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) Stay tuned for all the latest information about the developments of the corona virus.

Will my visit to the doctor be reimbursed?

General practitioner care is reimbursed from the basic insurance. You do not pay any deductible for a GP consultation. For laboratory tests, the deductible is addressed. Laboratory tests that show whether you are infected with the coronavirus are therefore covered by the deductible.

I want to be tested preventively for the coronavirus, will I be reimbursed through my health insurance?

It makes no sense to have a preventive test if you have no complaints. A preventive corona test is therefore not reimbursed from the health insurance. Do you have health problems and do you suspect that you are infected with the virus? In this case, please contact your doctor. If your GP decides that a corona test is necessary, the blood test will simply be reimbursed from the basic insurance. You pay the deductible for this.

If I have to be tested for the coronavirus, will I be reimbursed?

The tests of the coronavirus are being examined in a laboratory. Laboratory tests are covered by the basic insurance and you will therefore indeed be reimbursed. However, you pay a deductible for this. Unless you’ve already used up your deductible from this year, of course

I don’t want to go to the hospital now for my planned treatment. Can I reschedule my appointment?

You can always reschedule an appointment at the hospital. Go in consultation.

I have an appointment at the hospital. Is it still going on?

Hospitals have taken measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Do you have an appointment at the hospital? Then keep an eye on the hospital’s website. Here you will find current information and measures for visitors and patients.

Do you have complaints that may indicate corona and have you been in a risk area or have you been in contact with someone who is infected with the virus? Then stay at home and contact the hospital and your GP by telephone.

I would like to go to another hospital for my treatment. Can I switch during my treatment?

If you are already under treatment, it is best to discuss this with your doctor. Then a good transfer can take place. Do you have an in-kind policy or in-kind policy (budget)? Make sure that the hospital you are going to is contracted with your health insurer. Check here which hospitals you can go to with your health insurance.

What if my hospital is (partially) closed?

Your hospital will contact patients who are no longer available. In this case, the hospital where you are being treated will refer you to a nearby hospital. If it is possible for the treatment, you can also reschedule appointments in consultation with the hospital.

I have an in-kind policy, but the contracted hospital nearby is full. What should I do?

With an in-kind policy or in-kind policy (budget), the health insurer normally only reimburses the full health care costs if you go to a contracted care provider. Several hospitals are in danger of becoming full due to the corona virus. As a result, your contracted hospital may refer you to another hospital with which your health insurer does not have a contract. When you are referred from a contracted hospital to a non-contracted hospital, you remain 100% insured and you do not have to pay extra yourself.

I got sick abroad. Are medical costs for the corona virus reimbursed abroad?

Do you suspect that you are infected with the coronavirus? Then it is important to contact a doctor or hospital (by telephone). They will then determine whether you should come by for an examination. This will prevent you from infecting other people. The health insurance reimburses emergency care abroad. In this case, ‘urgent care’ means: care that cannot wait until you are back in the Netherlands.

Emergency care is covered by the basic insurance up to the maximum rate that applies in the Netherlands. If you want to be reimbursed for other costs, you need additional health insurance or travel insurance with cover for ‘medical costs’. If you do not have this, you pay the amount that is higher than the reimbursement from your basic insurance itself.

Have you booked a holiday to a country where the coronavirus is and do you want to cancel it? Or are you already at your travel destination and want to go home earlier? View the overview of the conditions per travel insurer.

Is hospital care reimbursed for the coronavirus?

If you are in hospital with the coronavirus, you will be reimbursed for the care in the hospital from the basic insurance. Hospital care does fall under the deductible. So you pay that yourself. Have you already used up your deductible for this year? Then you pay nothing for the care you receive in the hospital.

Will I be reimbursed for mouth caps and disinfecting hand gel?

You will not be reimbursed for self-care aids such as mouth caps and disinfecting hand gel from your health insurer. And: the RIVM only recommends mouth masks for medical personnel. Face masks only help if they are used correctly.

Are medicines against complaints of the coronavirus reimbursed?

There are currently no medicines against the coronavirus and there are no vaccinations against the virus. However, the symptoms can be treated, for example with fever reducers (painkillers). Patients who are very short of breath can be treated in hospital with extra oxygen. Medicines included in the GVS (medicine reimbursement system) are reimbursed from the basic insurance. Most medicines prescribed by the general practitioner or specialist are included in the GVS. You do pay a personal contribution for some medicines.

Will it be reimbursed by health insurance if I have to quarantine at home?

You will not receive a reimbursement from the health insurance for home quarantine. In principle, there are no healthcare costs associated with this.

Will I be reimbursed for quarantine at my address abroad?

If you become infected with the coronavirus during your holiday, you may have to quarantine at your place of residence. Here too, you will not receive any reimbursement from your health insurer. In principle, you do not incur healthcare costs. You may have to incur additional costs for your stay. You may be reimbursed for this from your travel insurance. Check with your travel insurer whether you are insured for this.

Will it be reimbursed if I have to stay in hospital quarantine because of the coronavirus?

Did you become infected with the coronavirus during a hospital stay? To prevent further spread, patients with the virus are nursed in strict isolation. The same rules apply to health insurance as for regular hospitalization. Hospitalization is simply reimbursed from the basic insurance. You pay the deductible for this.

Where can I find more information about the coronavirus?

The website of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) contains all the latest information about the developments of the virus. There is also a special government telephone number: 0800-1351. Here you get all the information about the coronavirus.

Johns Hopkins University maintains a map of the spread of the virus around the world.