Dutch gov't shelves plan to halve healthcare deductible to €165: report
The caretaker Dutch government has decided to shelve its plan to halve the healthcare deductible to €165 starting in 2027, insiders told the Telegraaf. The plan lacks sufficient support in parliament due to the political dynamics following the elections, the insiders said.
The PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB coalition agreement included a plan to structurally reduce the healthcare deductible from €385 to €165 starting in 2027 and to set a maximum deductible of €50 per treatment. This was at the PVV’s insistence. Geert Wilders’ party promised to scrap the healthcare deductible entirely in the previous election campaign.
The remaining Ministers of the now-twice-collapsed Schoof I Cabinet discussed the deductible during the Council of Ministers on Friday and agreed to postpone the plan “until further notice,” the Telegraaf’s insiders said. According to them, the government expects the proposal to die in parliament due to insufficient support.
The Council of State previously strongly criticized the plan, warning that it would increase premiums significantly, wouldn’t solve problems for the most vulnerable people in society, and would actually worsen the situation of people with disabilities.
Many political parties, including the now-largest party D66, took this criticism to heart and want to keep the deductible at €385 per year. The VVD, CDA, and JA21 even want to increase the deductible.
The VVD and CDA will almost certainly form part of the upcoming coalition talks. JA21 is also a likely candidate. The other likely candidate, GroenLinks-PvdA, still had reducing the deductible in its election program.
