Changes ONVZ Vrije Keuze basic health insurance 2026
The overview on this page lists all changes in our basic health-care plan as of January 1 2026. We have only listed the changes that change the terms and conditions of your insurance.
Changes to the basic health-care plan
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Compulsory excess
The statutory compulsory excess will remain the same. It will be €385 for 2026 too.
More information about the excess.General practitioner can consult more easily with medical specialists
Your general practitioner can seek advice from a medical specialist, which may prevent a referral to hospital. We call this joint advice, which is a consultation between the general practitioner and medical specialist, without the patient getting involved. As of 1 January 2026, the costs for joint advice will be fully reimbursed by the basic health-care plan and you won’t pay any excess for this.
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Personal contributions have changed
Sometimes you need to pay extra when we reimburse health care. This is called a personal contribution. The government determines the health care for which you pay a personal contribution and the contribution amount. As of 1 January 2026, the government will be changing the personal contributions for medicines, medical appliances, maternity care and transport. Check out the personal contributions at onvz.nl/eigen-bijdrage (Dutch).
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Maximum reimbursements have changed
ONVZ lets you choose which health-care provider you want to visit and which hospital you want to be treated at. If you’ll be visiting a non-contracted independent treatment centre, you’ll need to bear in mind the maximum reimbursements. We change these reimbursements every year. Check out the maximum reimbursements for specialist medical care in our 'Maximum reimbursements (pdf)' overview. Using our Zorgzoeker search tool, you can see whether a health-care provider has a contract with us.
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Extension of programmes to quit smoking
Your basic health-care plan currently covers a maximum of one programme to quit smoking per year (including nicotine replacement/medicines). As of 1 January 2026, this reimbursement will be extended to cover a maximum of three programmes to quit smoking per year (including nicotine replacement/medicines).
Your supplementary health-care plan may also provide coverage for other methods used to quit smoking. Please visit onvz.nl/vergoedingen/stoppen-met-roken to find out more.
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Reimbursement for adults with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA)
Do you have axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) with severe functional limitations, meaning you need help with simple daily activities such as walking or personal care? Remedial therapy supervised by a physiotherapist or remedial therapist can help prevent serious deterioration. From 1 January 2026, this care will be reimbursed by the basic health-care plan from the first treatment.
Your healthcare provider will determine how many treatments you need. For care covered by the basic health-care plan, you will always have to pay your excess first.
No referral needed for physiotherapy and remedial therapy under the age of 18
The basic health-care plan reimburses a maximum of 18 physiotherapy or remedial therapy sessions for children under the age of 18. If a child needs more than 9 sessions, they currently still need a referral from their general practitioner or other doctor. This will no longer be the case from 1 January 2026. Children will then also be able to use the 18 physiotherapy or remedial therapy sessions without a referral.
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Combined lifestyle intervention reimbursed for more health-care providers
As of 1 January 2026, the basic health-care plan will also cover the costs of a combined lifestyle intervention or CLI at a physiotherapist, remedial therapist or dietitian if they are registered as a lifestyle coach. This includes both adults and children.
Check out the ‘Combined lifestyle intervention (CLI) for overweight patients’ coverage on our website for more information and the terms and conditions. You don’t have to pay an excess for the CLI.
Authorisation no longer required for first combined lifestyle intervention
As of 1 January 2026, you’ll no longer need to ask permission from ONVZ for the first CLI programme for an adult. You do, however, need prior permission from us for a follow-up programme, which you can easily request at our page 'Asking for prior authorizartion'.
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Changes to reimbursement for orthoptics
If you visit an orthoptist yourself or with your child at a hospital or independent treatment centre, or an orthoptist who collaborates with them, the basic health-care plan will cover this. If you visit a different orthoptist, this will no longer be reimbursed by the basic health-care plan from 1 January 2026.
If you have an ONVZ Vrije Keuze Benfit, Optifit, Topfit or Superfit supplementary health-care plan, this will still be reimbursed.
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Prescribers of medical appliances have changed
As of 1 January 2026, all health insurers will use the same prescribers for most medical appliances. This means that the prescribers for each medical appliance have changed for 2026. You can find them in the overview of medical appliances and general rules and regulations and coverage on our website.
Changes to reimbursement of electricity costs for use of oxygen therapy equipment at home
As of 1 January 2026, this reimbursement will be lowered from €0.09 to €0.08 per hour of using the equipment.
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New quality requirements for skin therapists and beauticians
The ONVZ Vrije Keuze basic health-care plan and supplementary health-care plans reimburse oedema or scar therapy by a skin therapist. Our supplementary health-care plans sometimes also reimburse skin therapy, such as acne treatment, cosmetic camouflage instruction or epilation. As of 1 January 2026, the skin therapist must be quality registered in the Kwaliteitsregister Paramedici (Quality Register for Allied Health Professionals) and the beautician in the SKIN-register or the HUIDPRO-register.
To give health-care providers enough time to complete their registration, we will also still reimburse treatments in 2026 if the skin therapist is registered with the NVH and the beautician with ANBOS or De Huidprofessional. We will stop doing this in 2027.
