Cabinet still has no plan to compensate chronically ill for care cuts
The cabinet has reserved €350 million to compensate low-income chronically ill and disabled people for healthcare cuts, but there is no concrete plan yet for how to distribute it.
The Tweede Kamer debates the healthcare budget today and votes on the budgets in a few weeks. State secretary Eerenberg (taxation) has said he will present a plan for the healthcare cost deduction (zorgkostenaftrek) within a month.
Why it matters
- Working people can now deduct costs such as orthopaedic insoles, home adaptations and prostheses, and so pay less tax. The coalition agreement scraps this deduction from 2028.
- Other planned cuts for this group: an own contribution for district nursing (wijkverpleging), a higher deductible (eigen risico) and removal of household help from the Wmo.
The coalition agreement says the deduction is too complex and the money does not always reach chronically ill and disabled people. Scrapping it would raise €500 million for the cabinet, of which €350 million is reserved to compensate low-income people in this group.
Last month a large majority of MPs asked the cabinet to investigate whether the deduction could be kept, but only for people who are truly chronically ill or disabled. ChristenUnie leader Bikker has submitted a motion on the issue.
ChristenUnie
The ChristenUnie is a Dutch political party with a Christian orientation that holds seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament. Its MPs submit motions and questions on policy, which the Tweede Kamer can adopt or reject. Its position on a given issue shapes how parliamentary majorities form.