OOM Verzekeringen · compared independently · advice from Finass
Insurance for students abroad via OOM
Your Dutch basic health insurance travels with you to your exchange placement, but reimburses no more there than the Dutch tariff. In North America that is a fraction of the bill.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
If you remain registered in the Netherlands while studying abroad, cover under the Health Insurance Act continues with worldwide cover. That cover is, however, limited to the tariff applicable in the Netherlands. In countries where care is far more expensive, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Switzerland, a substantial part of every bill is therefore left for you to pay. A supplementary international policy covers that difference, or takes over medical care entirely.
Two things end cover under the Health Insurance Act altogether. A paid placement or part-time job in another EU country makes you socially insured there, so that the Dutch obligation to insure lapses by operation of law. And deregistration from the population register during a long stay does the same. In both cases you no longer need a top-up but full international cover.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your insurance for students abroad. We show what OOM and other insurers offer within it.
Injury to persons
Property damage to third parties
Employees included
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Extended cover
On top of that to damage to third parties, employers' and product liability and damage during work at the client's premises.
Employers' liability at the client's premises
Product liability
Agency workers, interns & volunteers
Care, custody and control (property in your care)
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare OOM's extended version with the market.
Environmental impairment (unforeseen, limited)
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Higher sums insured
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with OOM Verzekeringen
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether OOM Verzekeringen is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Worldwide cover is not worldwide reimbursement
Basic health insurance reimburses care abroad up to the Dutch tariff at most, or up to the market-conforming level stated in the policy conditions. The difference is left with you. With a hospital admission in North America that mounts up quickly, and a hospital there will also ask for a guarantee of payment or advance payment before any treatment is given at all.
A paid placement changes everything
If you receive a placement allowance or take a part-time job in another EU country, you become socially insured there and the Dutch obligation to insure ends by operation of law. Any healthcare allowance received can also be reclaimed. Notify your insurer of the placement in advance as well, because a policy that assumes a student who does not work does not cover work-related accidents.
What the host university requires
Many institutions in the United States and Canada prescribe their own student plan, unless you apply for a waiver with a policy that meets their list of requirements. What is considered includes the term, the presence of repatriation cover and cover for care on campus. Ask for that list of requirements before you take anything out, because converting afterwards costs you your enrolment date.
Where the cover stops
Cover does not extend to sport at competition level on behalf of the university, complaints that already existed on departure and ongoing medication, psychological support other than emergency care, or travel to areas subject to negative travel advice. Tuition fees you lose if you have to break off your studies are also excluded; that is a cancellation matter and not medical cover.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Country of destination. The local level of medical costs is the heaviest factor; North America is almost always in a group of its own.
Length of stay. A single semester is calculated differently from a full multi-year course abroad.
Age. Determines expected use of medical care and the age band in which the student cover falls.
Top-up or full cover. If your basic health insurance continues, a top-up is sufficient; otherwise a full international policy is needed.
Excess. A higher excess reduces the premium, but note how it interacts with the excess on your basic health insurance.
Liability, baggage and repatriation. Modules that host institutions sometimes prescribe themselves and that make the package heavier.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Does my Dutch health insurance continue if I study abroad?
Yes, as long as you remain registered in the Netherlands and no paid work in another country is added. Cover then applies worldwide, but reimburses no more than the Dutch tariff. In countries with expensive care a great deal is therefore left for you to pay, and repatriation, liability and baggage are not included in any case.
I am going on a placement and will receive an allowance. Does that change anything?
Yes, and more than you would expect. Paid work in another EU country makes you socially insured there, so that your Dutch obligation to insure, and therefore your basic health insurance, ends by operation of law. You then need full international cover instead of a top-up, and any healthcare allowance overpaid can be reclaimed.
My university requires its own insurance. Can I get out of it?
Sometimes, by means of a waiver. Institutions then publish a list of requirements your own policy must meet, for example on term, repatriation and care on campus. Ask for that list before you choose a policy and have it checked that the cover matches; a refused waiver means you pay for their plan after all.
Am I also covered when travelling at weekends?
Only if the area of cover allows it. A policy geared to one country of study does not automatically cover a trip to a neighbouring country, let alone a journey during the holidays. Look at the area of cover and at the maximum duration of an interruption, and extend it if you plan to travel further during your period of study.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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