Classic health insurance fund or free auxiliary fund? These are the pros and cons | My guide

Anyone who works as an employee, government employee, private employer or is registered as a job seeker with the VDAB (Flanders), Actiris (Brussels) or Forem (Wallonia) and has completed the professional integration period must register with the Health Insurance Fund. The same applies to those who are still studying or training and are over 25 years old.

Registering with the Health Insurance Fund or the Auxiliary Fund for Sickness and Disability Insurance (HZIV) ensures your compliance with social security. You are then entitled to recover a portion of your medical costs.

You can choose which health insurance fund you will join. In our country you can choose between a Christian, socialist or neutral health insurance fund. If you work in railways, you can join HR Rail Mutual Fund. In exchange for paying a membership fee, in addition to having a portion of your medical costs paid, you enjoy a number of additional benefits. These may vary by fund.

If you prefer not to choose one of these funds, you can still contact the Sickness and Disability Insurance Auxiliary Fund. This is a government institution that offers you the same reimbursement for medical costs. The advantage is that you do not pay a membership fee, and the disadvantage is that you are not entitled to any additional benefits. At the end of last year, the number of registered participants in the organization reached 143,958.

(Partial) reimbursement of medical costs does not apply only in Belgium, this applies to both those affiliated with a traditional health insurance fund and those who have chosen HZIV. You are also insured when traveling within Europe. After all, anyone with a valid connection is entitled to a European Insurance Card. This is how you get this document and these are the rules.

This means that you are equal to the insured persons in your country of residence. Please note: The card only applies if you are traveling or staying there as part of a training course. It cannot be used by anyone who travels abroad specifically to receive care.

For those affiliated with the traditional health insurance fund, medical assistance from Mutas is added. This is a telephone exchange that provides medical information 24/7, can schedule appointments with local doctors and communicate with your family if necessary. She can also take care of returning home.

Everyone who belongs to HZIV does not benefit from this interference from Mutas. If repatriation is necessary, the person concerned must organize this himself. The alternative is to obtain private travel insurance, which includes this repatriation.

Travel insurance can also be useful for other things. The health insurance card or Motas will not intervene if the car breaks down abroad. The same applies to destinations outside the European Economic Area.

Travel with complete peace of mind: You can find a travel insurance policy that suits you using this free comparison.

Read also on Spaargids.be:

“All claims after 26 weeks of pregnancy are excluded”: Beware of the small print of your travel insurance

Don’t let your credit card give you a false sense of security when traveling: (You won’t) benefit from these insurances

Your bank can charge you money: these are the most expensive additional services