The third largest health insurer in the Netherlands announced today that CZ customers will pay 138.25 Euros per month for the most preferred basic health insurance next year. This means an increase of 3.75 euros per month.
CEO Joep de Groot also warns that healthcare can no longer be guaranteed to be available to everyone at all times. Health insurance companies have a duty of care, but according to him the limits of the health system have been reached.
Not only the affordability limit, but also the expected personnel shortage will continue to increase in the coming period. According to CZ, more care should be given to the same number of people.
As a result, it is no longer possible to avoid long waiting lists in healthcare, says De Groot of De Telegraaf. “I cannot guarantee that healthcare will always be accessible to everyone. In fact, I can almost guarantee that this is not the case.”
reserves
De Groot says most of his own reserves are used to limit the increase in premium levels as much as possible. It was 250 million euros last year, now less than half; 110 million euro “There is a limit to these reserves.”
The level of reserves is partly related to the results of investments. De Telegraaf, for example, writes that there has been a significant loss of investment this year.
Still, the CEO doesn’t expect this to have dramatic results next year. But in the long run, something must be done to keep rising health costs and health insurance premiums in check.
aging
De Groot says healthcare is also stretched to the limit when it comes to supply and demand. “Due to the aging of the population, the demand for care is increasing. But there is no one who can provide this care anymore. Soon we will have to deal with the same people more. It is a problem. The urgency to organize care in a different way is great,” says De Big.
Last month, the Dutch Health Authority (NZa) warned that the healthcare system has reached a critical point. As the demand for care increases, the supply becomes even more scarce. Access to care is no longer a natural issue, according to a report in which NZa analyzes the functioning of our healthcare system.
Tomorrow other health insurances will arrive with next year’s premiums. In September, health insurance company DSW announced that the basic insurance premium would increase by 9.75 euros per month. The monthly premium for 2023 on the DSW is 137.50 euros.
Kuipers: alarming but not new
Health Minister Kuipers said this was worrying news, in response to CZ’s concerns about the future. While she acknowledges that there are limits to nursing, she adds that this is nothing new to her. This was the reason why the Cabinet signed the “Integrated Maintenance Agreement” with various parties.
Kuipers acknowledges that staffing shortages are a problem. He points out that currently one in six employees work in the health sector. He believes that if the growth in recent years continues, it will be a fifth in 2030 and a quarter in 2040. “It would be great if this worked, but we have to take into account that this is not possible and we have to make decisions and organize care differently.”
Source: NOS
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
