Preferred medicines policy
We apply a preference policy for many medicines. We do this because we want healthcare and medicines to remain affordable and accessible to everyone. The preference policy helps us to keep the premium as low as possible.
What is the preference policy?
We only reimburse a single variant of many medicines where several variants are available. We call that variant the preferred medicine.
These variants are interchangeable medicines with the same active ingredient, strength and administration method.
The preferred medicine may come in a different packaging than the familiar box, or in a different form or colour. However, it still works in exactly the same way, as the active ingredient has not changed.
Check the Pharmaceutical Care Regulations to see which medicines are covered by the preference policy.
No excess for preferred medicines
The costs of the preferred medicine are not subject to your compulsory excess.
However, the excess does apply to
the costs of care charged by the pharmacy for its services (such as dispensation of medicines, or information about a new medicine);
medicines other than preferred medicines.
What if you are unable to take the preferred medicine?
Your prescribing doctor may decide that due to medical reasons, you cannot take the preferred medicine. In such a case, you may qualify on medical grounds for reimbursement of a different variant of that medicine. Medical grounds are deemed to exist if taking the preferred medicine would be medically irresponsible. The pharmacist selects the most effective medicine on the basis of the prescription and the substantiation of the doctor's medical necessity. Note however that if there are medical grounds and you are taking medication other than the preferred medicine, the costs do count towards your compulsory excess.
Preferred medicines: what will you notice?
Are you taking a medicine that is not subject to our preference policy? In that case, nothing will change for you.
However, if you taking a medicine that does come under our preference policy you may get your medicine in a different box or under a different brand name.
Have there been earlier occasions when you received a different medicine from your pharmacy? Thanks to our preference policy, the choice for a particular medicine will remain fixed for a prolonged period, more often than is currently the case, so medicine changes are limited.
Your doctor will write the name of the active ingredient on the prescription. Your pharmacist will then give you the preferred medicine that contains that particular active ingredient.