Make swimming lessons part of the basic health insurance package, foundation says

Swimming lessons for children will become increasingly expensive in the future, and not all parents can afford that, the Dutch Water & Swimming Safety Foundation (NSWZ), which represents swimming schools, warned. The foundation wonders whether swimming lessons can be included in the basic health insurance package.

The swimming umbrella organization referred to a campaign by the trade union FNV to raise the minimum wage to 16 euros per hour. The legal minimum wage is now about 12 euros per hour. According to the NSWZ, the demand is good for swimming teachers’ standard of living, but “on the other hand, there is the risk that this will lead to significantly higher costs for essential services such as swimming lessons.”

The NSWZ, therefore, asks for a system “that both ensures fair wages and guarantees the accessibility of swimming lessons.” Making them part of the basic health insurance package could achieve that, the foundation believes.