Care to get €300 million boost in 2015

Next year, an extra €300 million will be made available for long-term care, the Telegraaf reports. After that, extra the budget will decrease over the years to about €200 million. The money will be used for the daily expenditures, and to provide extra care for young handicapped and, for example, onset dementia patients. The transfer of care from the government to municipalities is also expected to bring about big cuts to the budget, the effects of which may be softened by this extra money. Structurally and incidentally, the extra money could run up to €360 million in the first year, which includes the €60 million that is supposed to make sure that the transfer of youth care from government to municipality, which will be enforced in 2015, will go smoothly. Daily expenditures will be helped in 2015 by a sum of around €250 million, which will be reduced from 2017 onwards to €150 million. With that, there will be €50 million in the coming years to make sure that people who need care, will have a place in care homes if they are no longer able to live independently. Both PvdA fraction president Diederik Samsom as well as Arie Slob, of the ChristenUnie, emphasized the need for extra money for care. The negotiations between the Cabinet, the coalition parties VVD and PvdA, and the three friendly opposition parties D66, ChristenUnie and SGP will continue. Head tasks were already agreed on Monday, which was announced by Prime Minister Mark Rutte after discussions. The Cabinet as well as the coalition parties will have to find a way to agree with the three opposition parties as they would otherwise lose Senate majority.