More than 400,000 Belgians are not working due to long-term illness. Work expert: “We are much stricter for the unemployed”

7 percent of our 25- to 64-year-olds, or more than 400,000 citizens, are chronically ill. They are less closely monitored than those who receive unemployment benefits. Our work expert Stijn Baert, professor of labor economics at Ghent University, sees an important role for doctors and health insurance companies: “They are the gatekeepers of health insurance. By taking stricter action, more resources remain for the people who really need that support.”

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