Changing your health insurer

What this depends on

You'll need to know this about your plan

• What are you dealing with?
• Why are you changing insurer?If your insurer is being dissolved, put into forced administration or merged, you can switch even outside the usual date.Only asked in some cases
• Are you in an employment relationship?An employee must also notify the employer of the change within 8 days, not just the new insurer.Only asked in some cases

Possible outcomes

How this can turn out

• Only twice a year, 3 months ahead

  You may change insurer once every 12 months, always only as of 1 January or 1 July. You must file the application 3 months before the requested date of change.

  Health insurer3 months before the requested date of change (1 January or 1 July)
  • I want to choose a different health insurer
  • I simply want a different insurer
  • No
  Open this result
• 3 months ahead + tell your employer

  The same rules apply as for everyone: once every 12 months, as of 1 January or 1 July. On top of that, you must notify your employer within 8 days.

  Health insurer3 months before the insurer change, 8 days to notify the employer
  • I want to choose a different health insurer
  • I simply want a different insurer
  • Yes, I'm employed
  Open this result
• A change outside the half-year date too

  When your insurer is being dissolved, is in forced administration or is merging, you don't need to wait for the half-yearly date — you switch sooner.

  Health insurerAs of the 1st day of one of 3 calendar months after the month the event occurred
  • I want to choose a different health insurer
  • My insurer is being dissolved, merged, or is in forced administration
  Open this result
• Automatically the mother's insurer

  By law, from the day of birth the child is insured with the mother's health insurer (or the father's, if the mother isn't insured). You can only choose a different insurer once the child has been assigned a birth number.

  Health insurer8 days from birth to notify; the child's insurer can only be changed after the birth number is assigned
  • I'm sorting out the health insurer for a newborn
  Open this result
• 8 days to notify

  When you become self-employed, or stop being so, you must notify your health insurer within 8 days. This doesn't change your insurer, it just reports your status change to them.

  Health insurer8 days from becoming, or ceasing to be, self-employed
  • I'm starting or ending self-employment and must report it
  Open this result

Where this comes from

Primary sources, not a paraphrase

Related

People run into this next

• Registering a free trade licenceA free trade licence needs no education or experience — you just need to have full legal capacity and a clean record. One notification also registers you with social security, your health insurer and the tax office.