News item | 20-02-2025 | 16:48
Minister Fleur Agema (VWS) wants to hurry with combating market forces in the Emergency Assistance Departments (SEHs) and in Acute Obstetrics (AV). Together with interest groups in healthcare, she will see what can be done about this, even before the budget funding can be adjusted.
Market forces can be fought if hospitals and health insurers agree on a fixed budget. This keeps the care available. It does not matter how much care is provided by the hospitals.
In the government program, the cabinet previously expressed its ambition about the introduction of budget funding for the SEHs. After advice from the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa), it appears that from 2027 budget funding is the most feasible. If this is entered earlier, this can cost extra money.
Speed
Minister Fl Eur Agema: “I really want to speed up market forces in acute care. Care must become more accessible in the region and smaller regional hospitals need more certainty. My goal is to ensure that acute care quickly remains close to everyone. ”
If the consequences, opportunities and risks of budget funding for acute obstetrics are better visible, the minister also takes a decision on this. The NZa comes with additional advice on this in the summer.
At the same time, the minister wants to make rules in the coming period with interest groups in healthcare to achieve the best possible budget funding. That does justice to differences between hospitals.
For the funding of the Intensive Care (IC), the minister will send the NZa an application for an implementation test by the end of March 2025. Which must make it clear what the consequences are of the introduction of fixed budgets for the IC.