# Cabinet to end surcharge on unpaid health premiums from 2029

> People who fall behind on their health insurance premium pay CAK more than the average premium, and the cabinet says that extra cost will stop in 2029.

Economy · published 2026-11-12 06:59 · https://nlnow.nl/a/cabinet-to-end-surcharge-on-unpaid-health-premiums-from-2029/

The cabinet has announced that the extra cost charged to people in the CAK arrears scheme will end from 2029. From then on, the CAK will collect no more than an average health insurance premium. The cabinet has also freed up an extra €20m for its approach to debt problems.

The scheme is for people who have not paid their health insurance premium for a long time. The CAK then takes over collection from the insurer, and the debt does not disappear. Until 2029, the CAK charges more than the average insurer, which leaves people who already have debts with even less money.

Meanwhile, health insurance prices rose 2.2% in October compared with a year earlier, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). A year earlier, in October 2025, health insurance prices were up 5.4% and consumer prices overall were up 3.1%.

The yearly rise in health insurance prices has slowed in steps, CBS figures show. It stood at 7.1% in November and December 2024, then held at 5.4% in every month of 2025. Since January 2026 it has been 2.2%, and it was still 2.2% in October.

## Background

- **CAK (Centraal Administratie Kantoor)**: The Centraal Administratie Kantoor (Central Administration Office) is a Dutch national government agency that carries out administrative tasks for the health care system. It runs the arrears scheme for health insurance premiums, which means it collects premiums from people who have fallen behind on payment and whose insurer has referred them to the agency. It also handles related long-term care financing tasks, so people in the Netherlands may encounter it when they have unpaid premiums or debts.

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