The left-wing parties in the Tweede Kamer have called for an urgent debate with Ronald Plasterk about the state of affairs in the Cabinet formation. Plasterk has been leading talks with the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB about forming a new government, but NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt surprised everyone by announcing his party was pulling out of negotiations. Centrist parties also expressed dismay.
A popular political proposal to eliminate the health insurance deductible in the Netherlands would cost each resident about 300 euros per year, said caretaker Health Minister Ernst Kuipers. The motion to cancel the own-cost portion of health insurance, known as eigen risico, would end up helping those who actively receive healthcare at the expense of those who do not, Kuipers wrote in a letter to parliament last week.
Parliamentarians in the Tweede Kamer backed an initiative to force the Cabinet to put an end to mandatory health insurance deductibles, the portion of healthcare that people living in the Netherlands have to pay out of pocket. The amount, which is fixed at a minimum of 385 euros, is on top of the premiums paid for the basic health insurance package. The motion won support from a range of politicians from the left and right towards the end of a political debate on Wednesday night.