The Dutch health insurers announced their healthcare premiums for 2019. Not one insurer lowered their premiums, but Promovendum and Besured kept their premiums the same, NU.nl reports.
The four largest insurers Zilveren Kruis (Achmea), VGZ, CZ and Menzis are increasing their basic health insurance premiums by 7.50 euros, 4.75 euros, 8.55 euros and 3 euros per month respectively. An outlier is PNOzorg, which is increasing the premium for its basic package by 17.74 euros per month.
The MC Slotervaart in Amsterdam will no longer take in any new patients, the hospital decided on Wednesday evening. The operating rooms and intensive care units remain operational only for patients who are already admitted to the hospital. "The patients who are still here are in good hands", a spokesperson said, Het Parool reports.
The MC Slotervaart hospital in Amsterdam and the MC IJsselmeer hospitals in Lelystad and surroundings filed for deferment of payment. Health insurer Zilveren Kruis and most other health insurers stopped financing for the hospitals. "Bankruptcy may be inevitable", a spokesperson said, NU.nl reports.
The employees and patients of both hospitals will be informed of the current situation on Tuesday. Patient care is guaranteed. "This is a statutory task for health insurers. Patients currently treated in both hospitals can rely on adequate care", the spokesperson said to the newspaper.
Dutch employers take too few steps to prevent recurrence of burnout in their employees, according to a study by Kantar Public on behalf of Zilveren Kruis. 56 percent of employees who return to work after recovering from a burnout, find that their manager did not make any changes, NU.nl reports.
The city of Amsterdam has teamed up with a number of professionals, including pediatricians, doctors and health insurers, to get the 2,300 morbidly obese children in the city to a healthy weight. The goal for this cooperation is to reduce obesity through more efficient and more organized cooperation, the municipality announced in a press release on Thursday.
