Minister comes with new penshonado health arrangement

August 06, 2008 7:04 AM

The healthcare insurance for in the Netherlands retired persons that (come to) live in the Antilles, on which both parts of the Kingdom are working, will most probably die a premature death. There is an alternative that needs to be approved by the advisory bodies.

The fact that Minister Omayra Leeflang (Public Health, PAR) agrees with Parliament on not demanding a mandatory, but voluntary participation in the matter, is for the Dutch Minister Ab Klink (Public Health, CDA) and his senior officials reason to cancel the whole thing.
“I do understand the Netherlands’ frustration. They have worked very hard on this arrangement and are of the opinion that the arrangement must just be implemented. But it’s not the minister that does awkward: the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles – the highest political body of the country – has resisted the intended mandatory character of this health insurance act on December 4, 2007 via a motion”, says Leeflang.

Leeflang comes up with two arguments against a mandatory regulation: “The target group resists the mandatory character of the regulation. One reason for this resistance is that people that have lived for a short time in the Netherlands, have an AOW-pension  that is so little that they cannot pay the premium for this arrangement. Furthermore many penshonado’s already have an insurance, which makes this arrangement redundant for them.”

Leeflang regrets the fact that the Netherlands do not realize that something that works for Spain does not necessarily work in the Antilles. “The problem that we are coping with is that with the new health laws in the Netherlands, the penshonado’s living in the Antilles cannot get insured over there, while our own 60-plusses are already missing the boat for health insurance. We have come up with an alternative for this regulation that is becoming controversial, which would give comfort to both groups. For 10 percent of their income, retired persons in the Netherlands as well as the 60-plusses in the Antilles can get medical insurance at SVB. The basic package is for third class coverage, but supplemental insurance is possible. Thus problem is solved.”

The Council of Ministers has approved the alternative and it is now with the Advisory Council. It will then be sent to the Social Economic Council and then to Parliament.
After all these bodies have approved it, it won’t be long before it can be implemented.

(Source: National Newspaper Amigoe)

August 5, 2008