What can we help you with?

Report your serious illness as soon as possible via the app or web portal. To submit a valid report, you will need a medical statement from your treating physician.

This statement must include either a confirmation of the condition or a formal diagnosis. Additionally, your doctor should provide details of any procedures already carried out and any planned treatments. Simply upload your doctor’s medical report when submitting your serious illness report online.

Our physician advisor will then review your information to process the documents you’ve submitted. You can track the status of your file online, and we’ll notify you as soon as possible whether your illness is covered by your insurance plan. Coverage depends on the individual terms and conditions of your policy.

Have you or a family member fallen ill unexpectedly while abroad? We’re here to ensure your hospital admission goes smoothly. Every Vanbreda hospital insurance policy includes limited coverage for medical expenses abroad. Do you also have assistance insurance via your employer through Assi-Link or Assi-Link+? Then you can benefit from additional services, such as supplementary assistance and repatriation.

Report your admission via the app or web portal as you would for a normal hospital stay in Belgium and select the option ‘hospital abroad’. If you are insured through Assi-Link or Assi-Link+, contact them immediately as well.

Not every hospital admission involves an overnight stay. Sometimes you can be released from the hospital on the same day as your procedure or treatment. You should report your hospital admission just as you would with any other hospitalisation.

How does day-case admission work?

Please notify us of your planned day surgery in advance. On the day of your procedure, provide your 010 number (Medi-Link) to the hospital. If you’re eligible for reimbursement under your policy, we’ll settle your bill directly with the hospital through the third-party payment scheme. We’ll always keep you informed of your claim status.

By pre-existing disorders we mean any illness, accident, pregnancy and delivery that occurred prior to the date of affiliation or whose first objective symptoms appeared prior to that date.

We cannot grant a benefit if the disorder or incapacity for work for which you wish to claim your insurance was diagnosed or stated prior to your affiliation. In case of a disorder or accident, we nevertheless take into account the worsening of your disorder or increase of your degree of incapacity for work when you are affiliated for more than a year and have not been unfit for work during that period due to this pre-existing disorder.

This means that you will not receive a benefit in case of illness or incapacity for work during the first year of affiliation due to a pre-existing disorder.

A serious illness remains covered as long as you still receive treatment for the same disorder, or until the end of your affiliation under this policy.

Follow-up

It is possible that our medical adviser asks for a follow-up report in order to stay informed about your file. In that case, we will keep you informed.

Reimbursement

Reimbursements in connection with your serious illness are always done according to the conditions of your policy.

A serious illness case can typically remain open for as long as you require treatment or until your insurance coverage ends. Our physician advisor may periodically request updated follow-up reports to reassess your case. We will always keep you informed of the status of your file.

Some serious disorders are defined as a 'serious illness' and are covered by the guarantee of serious illnesses of your policy. Most policies do have such a guarantee, but not all of them.

Therefore, check your policy to find out whether your policy contains a cover for serious illness and whether your serious illness is included in the list of illnesses to which this cover applies.

Your file will be running as long as treatments are needed, or until the end of your affiliation. In some cases, our medical adviser requests follow-up reports in order to further assess your file. In that case, we will keep you informed.

It is the period during which your guaranteed income insurance does not provide coverage yet. This insurance can only be activated as soon as the waiting period has expired. The length of this period depends on the conditions of your insurance policy.

At that moment you are no longer covered by the system of temporary lay-off. Because when you fall ill during a period of temporary lay-off, you receive an allowance from your mutuality. As far as your guaranteed income insurance is concerned, the waiting period will start at the beginning of your incapacity for work. After this waiting period you can submit your file to us.

Does your incapacity for work last longer than initially expected? Or did you get back to work earlier? Vanbreda Risk & Benefits receives all relevant information about resumption of work or prolongation of incapacity for work directly from your employer. Of course you too can keep us informed of all relevant changes of your situation, for instance when you resume work earlier. This avoids that Vanbreda Risk & Benefits wrongfully pays out amounts that you should pay back afterwards.

By 'outpatient care' we mean all medical care you receive outside a hospital admission. For example, a visit to the GP or specialist, a scan or ultrasound scan, treatment by a physiotherapist, medication by the pharmacist, etc. 

Hospitalisation often involves other costs that you do not incur during the hospitalisation itself, but which are related to it, such as medication, visits to a specialist, physiotherapy or medical examinations before or after your admission. In most policies, such outpatient expenses are covered by a so-called 'pre-post' period, a period before and after your hospitalisation

. Policy conditions The outpatient expenses you can submit and the exact period that applies as a pre-post period depend on your policy. So check your policy conditions to be sure. You can only submit outpatient expenses in the context of a pre-post period that are registered in the name of the hospitalised person.

Depending on your policy conditions and whether a collective plan was provided for retirement, you can either remain affiliated or continue individually.

Have you been admitted to hospital urgently? Report your hospitalisation as soon as possible. This way, we can activate reimbursement of your hospital bills through the third-party payment scheme.

For insurance purposes, we consider an accident to include, among other things: road traffic accidents, personal accidents, domestic accidents, falls, sport accidents, school accidents, workplace accidents and more. Are you reporting a hospital admission in the Vanbreda App or web portal for the treatment of injuries resulting from a previous accident? If so, please also indicate that your hospitalisation is the result of an accident.

Yes, you can download and use the Vanbreda App on different mobile devices (smartphone or tablet) by simply logging in with your personal account. You only need to create your account once: after that, you can log in to all your devices using the same account.

Tip: With a personal account, you can easily manage not only your own insurance plan, but also those of any associated family members. Once you’ve successfully created your account, you can log in on another device, and all your profile data will be automatically stored and synced.

Tap the question mark next to the numeric keypad. You’ll then be asked to log out and sign in again using your username and password. After that, you can reset your PIN code.

By default, the Vanbreda App uses the same language as the one set on your device. Would you like to change your preferred language? To do so, open the ‘More’ menu in the app, then go to ‘Settings’. In the ‘User settings’ section, you’ll find the ‘Language’ option, where you can select your preferred language.

Tip: It’s best to set the language in your Vanbreda App to match the language you’ve selected for all communication with Vanbreda Health. If you’ve set two different languages, your settlement notes may contain multiple languages. In that case, an info notification in your Vanbreda App or on the web portal will alert you to this. We recommend adjusting your language settings to match the language you’ve chosen for correspondence with us.

Would you like to change the language for all communication with Vanbreda? If so, please contact your employer’s HR department. The information they provide to us determines your language preference.

If your son or daughter is admitted to hospital, you may want to stay overnight with your child during their hospital stay. The stay of a relative in the room of a patient is called rooming-in.

Reimbursement of rooming-in depends on the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. If rooming-in is covered by your insurance plan, the reimbursed amount typically depends on the child’s age. There is often a restriction on the maximum number of days reimbursed or a maximum amount.

Does your policy cover rooming-in? Then submit your child’s hospital invoice, showing the rooming-in charges. Separate bills or invoices – for example, for hotel accommodation in the parent’s name – will never be reimbursed.

Non-medical costs are not reimbursed by your hospital insurance. Examples of non-medical expenses include personal care products or the cost of a partner’s stay in your room (rooming-in) during hospitalisation. You’ll find full details of eligible costs for reimbursement in your policy terms and conditions.

Les frais de séjour de votre conjoint durant votre hospitalisation ne sont jamais remboursés par votre assurance.

Reimbursement of maternity care or postnatal care depends on your policy terms and conditions. Is reimbursement included in your policy? If so, then only maternity care provided by an accredited maternity nurse or an accredited maternity care centre is covered. Home cleaning and general domestic help services are not reimbursed by your hospitalisation insurance.

The maternity care services must fall within the recognised post-partum period. Check your policy terms and conditions to find out which rules and limitations apply (for example, a maximum number of days, a maximum reimbursement amount, or only maternity care directly following a hospital admission).

Do you have additional assistance insurance through Assi-Link or Assi-Link+? Then maternity care is reimbursed under the plan ‘Assistance during hospitalisation in your home country’.

We need your bank account number to reimburse your medical expenses and for any other refunds. For example, if you’ve accidentally paid a premium twice, we’ll refund the amount to the account number you’ve provided. If you haven’t added a bank account number to your personal Vanbreda account yet, or if you’d like to update your bank details, you can easily do so via the Vanbreda App or the web portal. To find your bank details, first go to ‘More’ and then to ‘Family members’.

Cancelling your insurance policy is simple. Submit your cancellation request via the Vanbreda App or the web portal. We’ll check if we can terminate your insurance policy and, if so, from which date.

Notice: some connections can only be arranged directly through your employer.

Adding someone to an insurance policy is easy. Submit your application via the Vanbreda App or the web portal. We’ll then check if sign-up is possible, from which date your coverage can start and under what conditions.

Please note: some insurance policy memberships can only be arranged directly through your employer.

Individual continuation for personal cover is only possible after your membership of your collective health insurance (through your employer) has ended. You must request your continuation option within one month of the end of your collective health insurance plan.

If you’re admitted to the hospital for an overnight stay, you can opt for a single room. However, your personal contribution towards the hospital bill will typically be higher than for a stay in a shared room. The hospital may charge additional single-room occupancy supplements, as well as surcharges on fees from your treating doctors.

Any (full or partial) reimbursement of these additional costs depends on the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. In some cases, restrictions may apply to reimbursements depending on the hospital where you are admitted. For more information about the supplements charged for a single room, you should contact the hospital directly.

You can easily set up automatic payment of your insurance premium by setting up a direct debit (also known as a SEPA mandate). The main advantage of paying by direct debit? You won’t need to make manual bank transfers to pay your premium. By authorising a direct debit mandate, we can collect your insurance premium automatically and securely from your bank account.

Have you changed your address? Simply update your details through the Vanbreda App or the web portal.

Reimbursement of your expenses is always calculated according to the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. Your insurance covers outpatient expenses that fall within the official pre- or post-period of your hospital admission and are directly related to your hospitalisation.

Outpatient expenses incurred outside this period (meaning those with a treatment or purchase date outside the covered period) cannot be submitted for reimbursement by your insurance – even if they are related to your hospital admission. You can find the duration of your pre- and post-period in your policy terms and conditions.

The cost of medical care rises every year. In addition, on average around 80% of a person’s lifetime medical expenses are incurred after reaching retirement age. Older people are generally admitted to hospital more frequently for complex and expensive treatment. For this reason, premiums for hospitalisation plans are higher for those who join at a later age.

Are you submitting your medical expenses online via the Vanbreda App or the web portal? Select the type of coverage that applies to your expense for smooth administrative processing and fast reimbursement.

Hospitalisation
Select the ‘Hospitalisation’ option in the app or web portal for all medical expenses related to a hospital stay. This includes, for example, your hospital bill, as well as costs incurred during the official pre- or post-admission period of your hospitalisation, such as medication, doctor’s visits and physiotherapy. Request your policy terms and conditions to check which costs are covered by your insurance plan and the duration of your official pre- and post-hospitalisation period.

Serious illness
Select the ‘Serious illness’ option in the app or web portal for all medical expenses related to a recognised serious illness (e.g. cancer or diabetes). Examples of related costs include medication, doctor’s visits, physiotherapy and care services. Request your policy terms and conditions to check which costs are covered by your insurance plan and which conditions are recognised as serious illnesses.

Outpatient care
Select the ‘Outpatient’ option in the app or web portal for all medical expenses that aren’t related to a hospital admission or a recognised serious illness. If you only have a hospitalisation plan with Vanbreda Health Care, outpatient expenses that are not related to hospitalisation or serious illness are typically not covered and do not need to be submitted. If you have an outpatient plan with Vanbreda Health Care, your insurance policy will reimburse certain outpatient expenses. Request your policy terms and conditions to see exactly which outpatient costs are covered by your insurance.

Not all of your medical expenses may be covered by your insurance policy. Below are a few common examples:

Restrictions or exclusions
Some costs are not reimbursed or are only partially reimbursed under your insurance plan. These include, for example, purely aesthetic cosmetic surgery procedures with no medical purpose.

Personal contribution (copay)
Your personal contribution is a deductible that you must pay yourself for costs covered by your insurance policy. The amount of your personal contribution depends on the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. Medical expenses below the threshold of your maximum personal contribution will not be reimbursed.

Limit amount
For certain reimbursements, a limit amount applies. Up to this set amount, you will be reimbursed for specific treatment or other medical expenses. Once this limit has been reached, you will have to pay any remaining costs yourself.

Non-medical expenses
Non-medical expenses are never covered by your insurance. Examples include items such as personal care products or Wi-Fi charges during a hospital stay: these are always paid by you. You can check your policy terms and conditions for full details of the expenses that are eligible for reimbursement.

Haven’t received your registration code when creating your personal profile? Follow these simple steps:

1. Use the contact form below.

2. Select the category ‘Vanbreda App’.

Ask your question in the input field and state that you would like to add your registration code (or a family member’s) to your profile.

A BVAC certificate is a standard document you receive from your pharmacist when purchasing prescription medication. With AssurPharma, you no longer need to request a paper BVAC certificate to submit for reimbursement. Simply have your pharmacist scan your personal AssurPharma barcode in the Vanbreda App and your BVAC certificate will be automatically sent to Vanbreda for reimbursement of your medication.

In the Vanbreda App or on the web portal, go to the menu ‘More - Family members’. Here you’ll find an overview of all family members with an active insurance policy whom you can manage via the app. There’s a difference between associated family members you manage yourself online and those you don’t manage through the app or web portal:

Users managed through your account
You can request a registration code to start managing family members through your profile. For minor family members, you don’t need a registration code: you can add them immediately. When reporting a hospitalisation or submitting medical expenses, your online overview will only show the family members for whom you have permission to manage their profile through the app.
Tip: Creating a separate online profile for each family member helps you avoid additional admin and processing time.

Other users
Here you’ll find insured family members for whom you don’t yet have permission to manage their details in the Vanbreda App or on the web portal. You can easily request permission by tapping or clicking on the family member’s name and following the required steps. Can’t find a family member in your overview? Their insurance plan might not yet (or no longer) be active.

You can always change the status of family members you manage through the Vanbreda App. Tip: each family member who turns 18 must re-register their profile in the Vanbreda App or on the web portal. You can do this easily by following these steps:

• In the Vanbreda App or on the web portal, go to the menu ‘More - Family members’. Here you’ll find an overview of all the family members you’re managing online. You can also modify their details here.

• Tap or click on a family member to view their details.

• Tap or click the ‘Stop managing this user’ button at the bottom of the screen and confirm your choice in the pop-up window.

Tip: Would you like to manage the insurance of someone who is not part of your household (such as a grandparent or neighbour in need of assistance)? Create a new account to manage this person separately.

AssurPharma is a joint initiative between Belgian pharmacists and insurers that handles the reimbursement of prescription medication in Belgium. Are you purchasing medicines from a pharmacy that are reimbursed by your hospitalisation insurance or outpatient care insurance? If so, your pharmacist will scan your personal AssurPharma barcode on your phone to automatically send us your BVAC certificate for reimbursement. You can then also immediately start tracking the reimbursement status of your costs online. You’ll find your AssurPharma barcode (and those of any linked family members) in the Vanbreda App.

You can easily send us hospital bills, invoices, receipts and other files via the Vanbreda App or the web portal. To submit a hospital admission report or expenses, simply use the shortcut links on the home screen. You can do this while logged into your personal profile or anonymously.

Did we request any additional documents, certificates or medical reports after you filed your report? You can easily upload these additional files. In the Vanbreda App, tap ‘More’ at the bottom of the home screen and then select ‘Upload a document’. If you’re using the website, go to app.vanbreda.be/support and select ‘Upload a document’.

Step-by-step overview:

1. Enter your personal details

2. Indicate which type of report or request your documents relate to:

3. My hospitalisation: for any additional documents or medical reports related to a hospital stay.

4. My serious illness declaration: for any additional documents or medical reports related to a serious illness.

5. The reimbursement of my expenses: for any additional documents or medical reports related to your expenses.

6. My policy: for any additional documents or medical reports related to your insurance plan.

7. Incapacity for work: for any additional documents or medical reports related to incapacity for work.

8. Select the file you wish to upload or drag it into the upload window.

9. Confirm the submission of your file.

Unfortunately, we are unable to pay any advance on your behalf. If you have paid an advance at the hospital, this amount will be shown on your final bill. We always take any advances you have paid into account when calculating your settlement note. Your final reimbursement of costs will depend on the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.

Please note: Always check that any advance you have paid is clearly stated on the hospital’s final bill or invoice. Only then can we process any applicable reimbursement. If you’re using the Medi-Link third-party payment scheme, your hospital is not allowed to charge you an advance.

Have you reported a hospitalisation? Then we’ll send you confirmation as soon as your case is approved. You’ll also receive a 010 number. You provide this personal code when registering at the hospital reception desk. Through your 010 number, the hospital can identify you, meaning you won’t have to pay any advance or other costs upfront. Your 010 number is also used for identification with Medi-Link, the third-party payment scheme that ensures your hospital bill is sent directly to Vanbreda Health Care. If there are any costs not covered by your insurance, we’ll send you a settlement note showing the costs you still need to pay (in full or in part).

Did you forget to register your 010 number at the hospital?
In that case, contact the hospital as soon as possible. In many cases, your 010 number can still be linked to your file, even after you’ve been discharged. If your hospital can successfully link your 010 number, you’ll still be able to use the Medi-Link third-party payment scheme for reimbursement. If your 010 number can no longer be linked to Medi-Link, you’ll first need to pay your hospital bill directly to the hospital. Afterwards, you can send us your bill via the Vanbreda App or web portal and we’ll reimburse the eligible costs in accordance with the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.

Medi-Link is the third-party payment scheme of Vanbreda Health Care. Through this system, you don’t have to pay any bills or fees upfront directly to the hospital. Instead, we handle your hospital bill on your behalf through your insurance plan. Your hospital sends us the bill for your stay through Medi–Link. We then pay the covered items on your hospital bill to the hospital, according to the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. Afterwards, we’ll send you a settlement note.

How does Medi-Link work?
Before your hospital admission, please report your hospitalisation via the Vanbreda App or the web portal. Once your report has been approved, all you need to do is present your 010 number at the hospital. You’ll find this personal identification code for Medi-Link in the Vanbreda App. This way, we’ll receive your hospital bill directly, so you won’t need to pay anything upfront to the hospital. You’ll then receive a settlement note from us detailing any costs that aren’t covered by your insurance policy. You’ll only need to pay the amount that isn’t covered.

Please note: Medi-Link is used for the payment of your hospital bill only and does not apply to the reimbursement of outpatient expenses.

Your personal contribution (or copay) is a deductible that you must pay yourself for treatment or other expenses covered by your insurance policy. The amount of your personal contribution depends on the terms and conditions of your insurance. Depending on your policy, your copay is withheld either per policy year or per claim year (starting from the moment you submit your first claim or expense). Your personal contribution is deducted from the costs eligible for reimbursement until the maximum amount has been reached. The amount deducted as your personal contribution is always shown on the settlement note you receive from us. You can find a detailed overview of your maximum personal contribution in your policy terms.

All your cards (such as your 010 number for Medi-Link and your AssurPharma barcode) are always available digitally via the Vanbreda App or the web portal. We don’t issue physical cards. Once you’ve logged into your personal profile, you’ll see your personal digital cards (and those of any linked family members) on the home screen.

Extra tips:

Medi-Link card (010 number) for hospitalisation
Your Medi-Link 010 number is linked to your hospital admissions.

Always report your hospitalisation first via the Vanbreda App or the web portal. You can then provide your 010 number to the hospital when you are admitted.

Are you unable to log in via the app or web portal, or are you reporting a hospital admission on behalf of someone else? You can also report a hospitalisation without logging in via app.vanbreda.be. On the website, under the heading ‘Continue anonymously’, select the option ‘Report a hospitalisation’. We’ll always confirm your Medi-Link number by email once we’ve processed your submission.

Has the date of your hospital admission changed, or would you like to modify other details of a hospitalisation you’ve already submitted via the Vanbreda App or the web portal? Simply submit a new hospitalisation request.

You can report your hospitalisation as usual, using the updated information (for example, a different hospital or a new admission date). You’ll then receive a new confirmation. The original hospitalisation report will remain visible in the overview – you can simply ignore it.

Do you choose a outpatient delivery? Then you file the same online declaration as for a regular delivery or cesarean section.Do you prefer to give birth at home? Then be sure to check the coverage for home birth in your insurance policy. In yourpolicy conditionsyou will also find right away how to join hospitalization insurance for your child.

Go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search for the "Vanbreda app." download and install the app on your smartphone.

Or surf to app.vanbreda.be and create an account via your computer

Open the app and choose the "Register Now" option if you don't already have one.

Need help registering an account? Check out our step-by-step guide:

• Create your account for the Vanbreda App through itsme

• Create your account for the Vanbreda App via email

If so, file a separate online report for each serious illness, including the relevant medical reports.

Using the barcode on your digital AssurPharma card, your pharmacist will directly submit the costs for your medication to us – fully online. To do this, your pharmacist simply scans your AssurPharma barcode displayed in the Vanbreda App on your smartphone. Don’t have a smartphone? You can also request your AssurPharma barcode by email.