An overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) voted in support of a motion put forward by the Socialist Party (SP), calling for the health insurance deductible excess (eigen risico) to be frozen at 385 euros for next year.
The deductible excess is the amount that every person over the age of 18 with health insurance in the Netherlands is required to pay for certain healthcare, such as a visit to a hospital or medical specialist, or to cover the cost of prescription medication.
According to Dutch law, eigen risico rises each year in line with rising healthcare costs. However, 17 parties in the House supported the motion, which stated that eigen risico should be kept at the same level as in both 2020 and 2021, instead of being increased to potentially 400 euros.
“The deductible must, of course, go away,” says Peter Kwint (SP), the MP behind the initial proposal. “It is an idiotic fine for being ill.” A number of parties, including SP and the Labour Party, would like to see eigen risico abolished completely, meanwhile D66 calls merely for a “reform” to the system, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party (VVD) asks for the value to be frozen.
The Dutch government is yet to promise to implement SP’s proposal, as it must still be approved by the Senate. The government will make an official decision on the matter in August before it is announced on Prinsjesdag (the third Tuesday in September).
However, the Dutch Minister for Medical Care, Tamara van Ark, has already suggested she will support the motion. “I can see the signatures,” she says, referring to the motion's overwhelming support in the House. “I can count.”