Health Declaration

The key points at a glance

Do you need to fill in a health declaration for the life insurance (overlijdensrisicoverzekering) you want to take out alongside your mortgage? Keep in mind that there are rules attached to this process that both you and the insurer must follow. The insured amount is often linked to the size of your mortgage: calculate how much you can borrow to get a sense of this.

1. What is a health declaration?

Whenever you want to take out a life insurance policy or a disability insurance policy, you are always required to fill in a health declaration. This is because the insurer wants to assess whether there is any reason to request a medical examination. The insurer is covering your risk of death, for example, and needs to be able to estimate how likely that risk actually is. As a general rule, the higher the insured amount, the more information the insurer will want.

Your health declaration is then reviewed by the insurer's medical adviser, who gives an opinion on the risk you represent. This risk can be average, above average, or too high. In the last case, the insurer will likely decline to cover you.

2. Rules for a health declaration

There are rules that the insurer must follow. For example, not just anything can be asked in a health declaration. Nor can the insurer simply request a medical examination without good reason.

When the insured amount exceeds what is known as the question threshold, the insurer may not simply proceed to a medical examination or ask more than the standard questionnaire from the Dutch Association of Insurers (Verbond van Verzekeraars). This amount depends on your age and varies by insurer. If the insured amount is above this threshold, be aware that the insurer may ask additional questions or suggest a medical examination without a specific reason, in order to assess your health.

There are also rules that apply to you when filling in the health declaration. You are subject to a duty of disclosure, meaning you must answer all questions truthfully. You must also report any changes in your health to the insurer immediately until the insurance has been finalised.

3. Your rights when filling in a health declaration

During the application process for insurance involving a health declaration, you have several rights:

• You may view your own file at the insurer. The medical adviser can also explain the advice given.
• You will be the first to know what advice the adviser is going to give the insurer. If you want to exercise this right, you must request it in advance in writing.
• If you know the advice before the insurer has been informed, you can ask the adviser not to submit it. The insurer will then not proceed with the process.
• If your application is rejected by the insurer, you may request a reassessment.

4. Medical examination and additional information

If the answers to the questionnaire give cause to do so, a medical examination can be requested even when the amount is below the threshold, in order to investigate your health more thoroughly.

If your health declaration shows, for example, that your BMI (Body Mass Index) is not between 18 and 26, or that you are over 50 years old, the insurer may use that as a basis to request a medical examination. If the medical examination provides reason to do so, the insurer may charge you a higher premium or even decline your application. The costs of the medical examination are generally covered by the insurer.

The insurer may also ask your GP for more information about your health. However, you get to decide whether you want your GP to provide that information. Your consent is arranged through an authorisation form.

5. Information from the Association of Insurers

When you are asked to fill in a health declaration for an insured amount that exceeds the question threshold, it is wise to read the information from the Verbond van Verzekeraars (the Dutch Association of Insurers) carefully. This way you will know exactly what an insurer can ask and what consequences certain answers may have. Ultimately, the insurer needs to assess how healthy you are and how high the risk of death is, in order to charge you a fair premium for the life insurance policy.

Frequently asked questions

What is a health declaration?

When taking out a life insurance policy or a disability insurance policy, you must submit a health declaration to the insurer. The insurer then assesses how high the risk of death is and determines the premium accordingly.

Are there rules for the insurer when it comes to a health declaration?

The insurer is bound by rules when requesting medical information. This depends on the size of the insurance you are applying for.

Are there rules for me when filling in a health declaration?

The duty of disclosure requires you to always answer the questionnaire in the health declaration honestly. You must also notify the insurer of any change in your health during the application process.

What are my rights when filling in a health declaration?

You have various rights, such as viewing the medical file and requesting a reassessment of the application. On request, you may also be the first to see the medical adviser's advice and then ask the adviser not to pass it on to the insurer.