People with a disability or chronic illness will take a major financial hit if the intended government cuts for health care and social security continue. This was evident from a calculation by the National Institute for Budget Information (Nibud) on Tuesday. “If households use multiple schemes that are going to change, the cost increase can amount to around 300 euros per month or more than 3,500 euros per year,” says Nibud director Mattias Gijsbertsen in a press release
In the 2026-2030 coalition agreement, the minority coalition (D66, CDA, VVD) states that it wants to cut almost 6.5 billion euros in social security and around 10 billion euros per year in health care costs, in order to close gaps in the budget. For example, the Jetten cabinet wants to increase the deductible from 385 euros to 455 euros per year, abolish tax deductions for specific healthcare costs and reduce disability benefits. People will also have to pay more for the help they receive with independent living or youth care.
The cuts can cause a chain reaction of setbacks, because many people with a disability or chronic illness rely on multiple schemes at the same time, Nibud says. In some cases, “the measures are interrelated,” says director Gijsbertsen. If people can no longer declare certain healthcare costs on their tax return, their taxable income will be higher, their healthcare allowance will be lower, and the income-related personal contributions for healthcare will also increase. These setbacks come on top of the additional costs that these people already incur due to their chronic condition and/or the limited flexibility in their budget, Nibud warns.
Social security
On behalf of the umbrella organization Elke(in), Nibud investigated the consequences of eleven proposed plans of the Jetten cabinet for people with a disability or chronic illness. Elke(in) collaborated with the Patient Federation of the Netherlands and MantelzorgNL for the research.
In recent weeks, these interest groups have received “thousands of stories” from people with concerns about the government’s plans, Nibud writes.
If people can no longer declare certain healthcare costs on their tax return, their taxable income will be higher, their healthcare allowance will be lower, and the income-related personal contributions will increase.
The institute cannot determine exactly how many people will be affected by the measures. Based on eight households, Nibud made a broad estimate of the costs that people may face in different situations – such as a single person with a motor disability and a family with a child with a disability.
In addition to cuts in healthcare, cuts in social security also affect these people. Especially if they do not receive disability benefits (the income provision for the completely disabled, IVA) and the WIA changes. The Jetten cabinet wants to abolish the IVA for new applicants from 2030. As a result, people who are completely disabled will have to deal with the WIA benefit, which will also be lower. Instead of a benefit of 75 percent of the last earned wage, this will be a maximum of 70 percent. The risk of financial problems is therefore “real”, according to Nibud.
‘Unclear how and to what extent’
It is not yet clear how a number of schemes will work in practice. The government has made it known that it wants to limit the financial consequences for low incomes, “but it is still unclear how and to what extent,” says Nibud director Gijsbertsen.
Interest groups, trade unions, and coalition and opposition parties have strongly criticized the plans in the coalition agreement. This led to Minister Hans Vijlbrief of Social Affairs and Employment (D66) reversing plans to raise the state pension age in the last week of May.
The minister also wants to update the proposals to shorten unemployment benefits and adjust the WIA. But it seems certain that changes will come. The government continues to insist on a different interpretation of the unemployment benefit and the WIA. According to the cabinet, too many people end up on benefits. In September 2025 saw the UWV almost 9 percent more current unemployment benefits than a year before. The number of people in the WIA has also increased in recent years, the UWV reports in the report, “presumably because more people have become ill for a long time due to mental disorders.” Minister Vijlbrief called the influx of people into the WIA “alarming” and wants to “intervene” to curb rising healthcare costs.
Although Prime Minister Rob Jetten (D66) stated in a parliamentary debate last Thursday that he would “possibly” revise the cuts to social security, it is not yet certain how they will take shape. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives will vote on major motions on cuts to social security and health care.