DutchNews.nl,
Wednesday 05 March 2014
Health minister Martin van Rijn (Trouw/ANP) |
District
nurses will be charged with deciding what services they will provide for people
in their area in order to help them remain living in their own homes, junior
health minister Martin van Rijn told parliament on Wednesday.
The cost of
district nursing will be covered in the basic healthcare package. This means health insurance companies will
decide who should get the contracts, Trouw points out.
Costs
Draft
legislation making the switch towards community nursing possible was sent to
parliament on Wednesday.
MPs are
largely agreed that community-based care is preferable to institutions but are
divided on the role of health insurers in this, Trouw says.
In
particular, opposition MPs are worried that insurers will go for the cheapest
option and that district nurses will not be paid for other essential tasks such
as coordinating with other care professionals.
Van Rijn
has assured MPs more cash will be made available to pay for district nurses to
have a coordinating role.
Premiums
Meanwhile,
health minister Edith Schippers says the expected increase in healthcare
premiums because of the switch to community-based nursing will be limited to
€20 a year thanks to an extra injection of government funds.
There had
been fears the premiums would rise by €200 to pay for the changeover. Long-term
care is currently paid from out of a separate pot of money known as the AWBZ.
However,
the extra government contribution will be phased out by 2019, Schippers said in
a briefing to parliament. In addition, health insurers will be free to increase
premiums for a basic policy by more than €20 because of other factors which
have increased costs.
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