Health care to increase by €20/year in 2015

Health care in 2015 will be limited to €20 on a yearly basis. Temporary government contributions subdue the premium rise for citizens and employers. Minister Edith Schippers, Public Health, wrote this in a message to Parliament. Due to the transfer of a section of the long-term care (the AWBZ) to the standard package of the health care law, insured individuals have to pay a bigger premium. At the announcement of the budget figures in September, the cabinet was expecting a rise of €50. Social partners indicated in January that they feared the premium would rise with €200. Schippers revealed in her message to Parliament that the temporary government contributions only apply between 2015 and 2019, and will be broken down to zero with even steps. The care premium could increase more because health care insurers may opt for a rise. Last Summer, the CPB (Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis) claimed that the care premium for this year would be €134 more expensive than it actually was, RTL reports. Minister Schippers calls the Bureau's estimates misrepresentative of the truth as well. Health care insurers will only decide the height of the premium in November, because some influential factors still remain unclear in March.