The government does not want to raise the energy price ceiling for chronically ill people with high energy bills. They have to make do with existing jars. But there isn’t enough money in these jars for this group. This is what interest groups tell NU.nl. Several municipalities confirm this picture.
These are chronically ill people who depend on certain equipment, such as an electric wheelchair or an oxygen or dialysis machine. Or people who have to incur high costs for heating or air conditioning because they cannot adequately regulate their body temperature.
As a result, some patients often use more energy alone than a family of two. It is now around 308 euros per month spent on gas, water and electricity. For a kidney patient who does dialysis at home, an average of 240 euros per month is added to this.
People with the most severe disabilities run the risk of incurring the highest costs. “This is unacceptable,” says director Illya Soffer of Elke (in), an umbrella organization to which 250 patient organizations are affiliated. “These people have often lived around subsistence level for years. There are opportunities for them to save. Many are already using the food bank.”
Several municipalities define insufficient vessels
But there will be no exceptions to the energy price cap. During the General Political Considerations, Prime Minister Mark Rutte explained that people with disabilities or chronic illnesses can request so-called special assistance. To qualify, you must earn no more than 120 percent of the minimum wage. There is also an energy surcharge for the minimum wage.
A general practitioner’s medical certificate is normally required for special care, but with current energy prices there is an exception, say the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS) and Social Affairs.
A tour of Dutch municipalities shows that at least ten municipalities have insufficient financial resources to meet the needs of this group. “The municipality does not have the financial resources to shoulder all the growing burdens of chronically ill residents,” said a spokesman for the municipality of Midden-Groningen.
“Special assistance does not offer security”
For privacy reasons, many municipalities don’t track whether people requiring special assistance or other benefits have a chronic illness or disability. However, at least fifteen municipalities indicate that this group is sometimes excluded. In some severe cases, customization is possible. Soffer is critical: “You can really go to the municipality, but it has limited resources. Special assistance therefore offers no security.”
A number of municipalities say they want to raise the income limit for social assistance or financial aid to 130 percent of the minimum wage. “In this way, more people with chronic illnesses or disabilities can take advantage of the benefits,” says a spokesman for the city of Amsterdam.
More people will be able to receive healthcare services next year
But there is a glimmer on the horizon: 350,000 more people will be eligible for health benefits next year. In addition, this surcharge increases by over 400 euros on an annual basis. A VWS spokesperson also says the government is in consultation with health insurers in the Netherlands to increase the reimbursement of electricity for the chronically ill. Everyone points out that this only makes sense if that tariff applies to all equipment. Now there is only a refund for the fans.
Sabah Ziani, a consultant with the Dutch Kidney Patients Association, says it would help if the grant application were facilitated. Many patients say it is too difficult to raise the threshold even higher. Several municipalities also state that it is difficult to achieve minimum income levels with a chronic illness. “The government can play a more important role in this,” says Ziani.
