The price you pay for a pharmacist to fill your prescription depends on thecost of the drug itself and the pharmacy service charge. Health insurers andpharmacists set these prices together. So the cost of a drug depends on yourhealth insurer, your insurance policy and your pharmacist. Ask your pharmacisthow much of the cost is reimbursed.
Pharmacy service charge
Your pharmacist may charge you for:
- checking whether the doctor has prescribed the correct unit dose and dosage;
- checking whether the new medicine could interact with any other medicationthat you use;
- dispensing the medicine;
- explaining how the medicine is to be used.
How much the service charge is depends on how many tasks or checks thepharmacist must perform, and when the medicine is dispensed. The service chargemay be higher for medicines dispensed outside regular office hours (evenings andweekends).
Free pricing system for medicines
The government does not fix the prices of medicines. These are set innegotiations between health insurers and pharmacists. This means a pharmacistmay charge different prices for the same medicine, depending on who thepatient’s insurer is.
Paying for medicines up front or afterwards
If your pharmacist has a contract with your health insurer on providingpharmaceutical services, the bill will go directly to your health insurer.
If there is no such contract, you will have to pay for the medicinesyourself, but you will be able to claim these costs from your insurer later. Youcan also choose to go to another pharmacy that does have a contract with yourhealth insurer, but you will need a new prescription.
To find out which pharmacies and dispensing family doctors have servicecontracts with your health insurer, go to your insurer’s website.
Finding information about cover for medication
You can find information about cover for medication onMedicijnkosten.nl (in Dutch). Thiswebsite tells you:
- whether the medicine is covered by the standard health insurance package;
- what part of the cost will be deducted from your excess;
- whether you have to pay part of the cost (co-payment);
- if a cheaper alternative is available for which your insurer provides fullcover.
