The number of people who no longer pay health insurance premiums has fallen rapidly in recent years, but this decline has now come to an end. Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health) says that the number of defaulters remains stable. The ministry does not provide an explanation for the end of the decline.
In 2015 defaulters were just over 312,000. Two years later it was down to nearly 250,000 and another two years later to about 200,000. At the end of last year, 170,221 people had not paid premiums. On November 1 of this year, however, the counter stood at around 172,000, thus a very slight increase.
The fact that the number of defaulters has decreased in recent years, according to the ministry, “probably has to do with additional efforts by health insurers to reinstate failed payment arrangements, and indicates that citizens (are able to) better comply with the closed payment agreement rules.’
170,221 in default
Of the 170,221 defaulters at the end of last year, about 100,000 had been in default for more than two years. However, this is also lower than in previous years. According to the ministry, this could ‘be partly due to the efforts of the municipalities’, who contact the defaulters. People can also lose status again, and for most people this happens because they enter into a payment agreement or because they actually pay off their debt in full.
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
