Lower House not yet backing healthcare budget
The debate left unclear which parties will support the government’s plans for 2027.
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The Lower House on Thursday still failed to find a majority for the healthcare budget. Resistance centres particularly on the planned cuts and compensation for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
The debate on the Health Ministry’s budget showed that support for the government’s plan is not assured. The Lower House’s plenary report explicitly referred to a budget without a majority.
A key point of contention is the announced change to the tax deduction for specific healthcare costs. The government wants to scrap the scheme from 2028 because, according to the coalition agreement, it is complicated and does not always reach the right people.
A sum of €350 million has been set aside to compensate people on low incomes. According to NOS, there is still no concrete scheme for distributing that amount. State Secretary Eerenberg said the government was still working on this and wanted to present a plan within a month.
Opposition parties fear that people with chronic illnesses and disabilities will face the consequences of several measures at once. In addition to the tax deduction, the government cites a co-payment for community nursing, an increase in the healthcare deductible and changes to domestic support under the Wmo.
The government defends the plans because the growth in healthcare spending must be curbed. According to the government’s position, measures should target people who genuinely need compensation, while healthcare must remain accessible and affordable.
The Lower House must formally approve the budget at a later stage. Until then, parties can set conditions or amend parts of it through motions and amendments. The outcome therefore depends not only on the debate, but also on negotiations with parties that do not automatically support the government’s plan.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Lower House debated the healthcare budget on 15 October.
- Support for the budget was not secured during the debate.
- The government has set aside €350 million to compensate people on low incomes.
- There was still no worked-out plan for distributing that amount.
Left
Arguments The burden should not fall mainly on people with chronic illnesses, people with disabilities and low-income households. The government should scrap the cuts or make higher incomes and profits contribute more.
Values Equal access to healthcare, solidarity and protection for vulnerable groups.
Consequences The left fears people will avoid healthcare, debts will rise and pressure on unpaid carers and municipalities will increase if several co-payments are introduced at once.
Centre
Arguments Healthcare spending must remain manageable, but measures must be workable and targeted. A compensation scheme should first be concrete and verifiable before existing deductions are abolished.
Values Affordability, practicality and institutional prudence.
Consequences The centre stresses the risk that delay will put pressure on the budget, but also that a poorly developed plan could unintentionally affect people who struggle to make ends meet.
Right
Arguments The growth in healthcare spending calls for clear choices and greater personal responsibility. Compensation should be limited to people demonstrably in need of help and should not develop into a general income scheme.
Values Financial discipline, efficiency and the responsibility of citizens and government.
Consequences The right fears that broad exemptions will hollow out the reforms and push healthcare premiums or taxes up further.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is based on the Lower House debate and current reporting by NOS. The text distinguishes between established budget plans and measures for which no definitive scheme yet exists.
- confirmed The healthcare budget did not yet have a majority in the Lower House on 15 October. — This is stated in the Lower House’s plenary report. source
- confirmed €350 million has been set aside to compensate people on low incomes. — NOS describes this amount in the context of the healthcare cuts. source
- confirmed There was still no concrete plan for distributing that compensation. — NOS quotes the state secretary on this. source
- confirmed The government cites a co-payment for community nursing and changes to the Wmo. — NOS mentions these measures as part of the announced plans. source
Editor's note
Political support is demonstrably uncertain. The precise voting figures and the final budget outcome were not yet known at 19:00 on 15 October.Sources
- Plenair verslag Tweede Kamer, 15e vergadering — Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
- Nog geen plan kabinet over compensatie zorgkosten, onzekerheid bij chronisch zieken — NOS
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „zorgbegroting tweede kamer”
- Trouw — „zorgbegroting tweede kamer”
- NRC — „zorgbegroting tweede kamer”