Law Changes 2021: Health, Care and Sport

The Dutch government will implement over 60 new rules, regulations, and law changes at the stroke of midnight on January 1. Below is a summary of the 2021 changes made in the category Health, Care and Sport: 

For at least the first seven months of the year, the basic health insurance package will include treatments for the recovery from Covid-19. This will cover all speech therapy sessions, up to ten hours of occupational therapy, a maximum of 50 physiotherapy sessions and no more than seven consultation hours with a dietician, as long as they are carried out in a six-month period. A second period of six months may be possible in exceptional cases. A person does not have to have tested positive for the coronavirus infections, but a general practitioner or specialist does have to diagnose it.

Basic health insurance will also include more coverage and transportation for GZSP patients. These include people suffering from several different types of chronic illnesses who are living at home, as well as those with a physical disability caused by accident or illness, and others with physical or psychological problems.

GZSP patients will now pay their deductible when receiving care.

Additional physiotherapy treatments for people with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who have been placed in the B2 category, will be included in the basic health insurance package.

Insurers providing death and funeral insurance to former cancer patients who have been in remission for 10 consecutive years may no longer take the illness into account when determining the premium. That period is 5 years for anyone up to the age of 21.

The tax on cigarettes will rise by 12 cents per packet, and the tax on loose-leaf tobacco will rise by 30 cents per 50 gram package. An increase will also be added to the tax on cigars.