Law Changes 2020: Health, Care, and Sport

The Dutch government is implementing a large number of rules, regulations, and law changes at the stroke of midnight on January 1. Below is a summary of changes made in the category Health, Care and Sport:

The basic health insurance package will be expanded next year. In 2020 Netherlands residents can opt for accommodation allowance instead of transport costs. Reimbursement will be available for the preparation of medicines by a pharmacy. The Flash Glucose Monitoring sensor for diabetes patients will be included in the package. Spinraza, a medicine for muscle disease SMA, will be added to the basic package for patients of all ages. Also included is osimertinib, a medication that is prescribed to treat a specific form on lung carcinoma. The healthcare deductible remains 385 euros next year. More information here.

The healthcare allowance is increasing next year. The maximum healthcare allowance for a single person in 2020 will be 1,248 euros, 20 euros more than in 2019. And that of couples will increase by 84 euros to 2,388 euros.

In 2020, various rules and laws around long-term care will change. For example, the transitional arrangements in the General Exceptional Medical Expenses Act stop on January 1st. A full list of changes can be found here.

The Mandatory Mental Healthcare Act will be implemented on January 1st. This law regulates the rights of people involved in compulsory mental healthcare, and also means that patients can be forced into treatment apart from a mental healthcare institution. More information here.

Another new law implemented on January 1st, the Care and Coercion Act, regulates the rights of people with an intellectual disability or people with a psychogeriatric disorder, like dementia, who receive involuntary care. The law also regulates involuntary admission to an institution. More information here.

From January 1st, the legal retention period for medical records will be 20 years instead of 15 years. The retention period starts from the last modification date of the file.