vaccinatiecentrum.nl
Tropical Health Advice and Vaccinations
Will my health insurance cover a travel vaccination?
When travelling, you may need to think about vaccinations. Sometimes it is mandatory to be vaccinated when travelling to specific countries. In other cases, a travel vaccination may not be mandatory but recommended to avoid health risks. There are costs involved, but sometimes vaccinations are covered by your health insurance. Whether you qualify for reimbursement depends on several factors.
Step 1: check your health insurance policy
The first step is to check your health insurance policy to see what vaccinations and additional costs are covered. Travel vaccinations are not covered by basic insurance, so if you do not have supplementary health insurance, you will always have to pay for the vaccinations yourself. However, not all supplementary health insurance policies cover the cost of travel vaccinations either. Therefore, check the policy conditions of your supplementary insurance carefully so that you do not face unexpected costs.
If you have supplementary health insurance with Zilveren Kruis or Interpolis, your consultation, vaccinations and preventive medicines will be reimbursed 100%*. Vaccinatiecentrum.nl has a contract with these companies, which means that we can submit the bill directly to your insurance company and you do not have to pay in advance.
If you have Dutch health insurance, you can easily check via vaccinatievergoeding.nl whether travel vaccinations are covered and, if so, which conditions apply.
Step 2: check reimbursement for travel vaccines
There are several conditions attached to the reimbursement of travel vaccinations. For example, many Dutch insurance companies only reimburse vaccinations recommended by the National Coordination Centre for Travel Advice (LCR) or vaccinations they say are mandatory. Most travel vaccinations are recommended but not mandatory, except the yellow fever vaccine. Those visiting an area where yellow fever is present are required to get vaccinated more than 10 days before travelling.
Besides the recommended and mandatory vaccinations on the lists maintained by the LCR for each country, there are also vaccinations for which the advice depends on your personal circumstances. For example, a rabies vaccine is often only covered if you are visiting a country where this disease is common, where there is not always access to good medical care and when the nature of your trip puts you at a higher risk of contracting an infection.
Also note: some insurance companies do not offer reimbursement if you have to travel for work.
Personalised vaccination advice
Because the recommended travel vaccinations can differ between individuals, we always give personalised travel advice during your appointment at vaccinatiecentrum.nl. It is wise to make an appointment well before the start of your trip, at least six to eight weeks in advance.
Step 3: check the vaccination requirements of your insurance company
Finally, some insurance companies impose requirements on the party providing the vaccinations. Some insurance companies will only reimburse the travel vaccination if you get it from your general practitioner (GP), the Municipal Health Service (GGD) or a vaccination centre approved by them. At vaccinatievergoeding.nl you can immediately see whether a travel vaccination at vaccinatiecentrum.nl is covered by your insurance company (vaccinatievergoeding.nl only shows this for Dutch insurance companies).
If you have found out whether your travel vaccinations are covered by your insurance company, the maximum amount covered is the last thing you need to check. Some insurance companies cover 100% of the costs, others have set a maximum amount. if your insurance company has set a maximum amount, all costs incurred after reaching this maximum will be at your own expense.
Start preparing in time!
Good preparation will prevent you from unpleasant last-minute surprises. Find out well in advance which vaccinations you need for your trip. During a consultation at vaccinatiecentrum.nl, you will always receive travel advice tailored to your personal circumstances. You can then find out to what extent your insurance company will cover the travel vaccinations. If, at the end of the year, you are planning a trip for the following year, it might be interesting to check whether your current insurance company offers the right coverage or whether you might be better off switching to another insurance company that better suits your needs.
Do you want to know which vaccinations are mandatory and which vaccinations are recommended for your trip taking into account your personal circumstances? Then make an appointment, our specialists will be happy to help you.
*Excluding prescription and medicines for altitude sickness.