The number of people in Belgium who are entitled to an Increased Allowance (VT status) resulting in them paying less upfront when visiting a GP has increased, however, not all people who are eligible make use of this status.
Anyone legally residing in Belgium has to have basic health insurance with one of the country's recognised funds, which pays back (part of) medical costs, leaving patients to pay a small fee of €4 to €6 after a doctor's visit. Households with the VT status are eligible for higher reimbursements, reducing the amount paid by the patient to €1.
Today, almost one in five Belgians are entitled to the VT, an increase of 54% compared to 2002, according to the Christian Mutuality (CM), one of Belgium's biggest health insurance funds.
"Despite the increase in our prosperity, the number of people entitled to the status is not decreasing. We should not let this observation pass us by," CM President Luc Van Gorp said.
A survey among its members showed single-parent families, widows, invalids and the unemployed in particular are more likely to be entitled to higher reimbursement. Notably, the group of minors entitled to this status has also almost doubled. In Brussels and Antwerp, some 40% of young people are eligible for the VT status.
''This is a new and worrying phenomenon, especially in the big cities. From this, we can deduce that more young people in big cities are growing up in low-income households," Van Gorp said.
Number should be higher
The rise is largely a result of the efforts made in recent years to award the status more efficiently, however, CM is still calling for the legislation to be amended, as a high percentage of eligible people still do not make use of this system.
"An estimated 45% of 18- to 64-year-olds who may be entitled to VT do not take up the entitlement," CM noted, arguing that the so-called "non-take-up" — meaning people do not respond after being contacted about this status — represents the biggest challenge around the system.
"The percentage of people not taking up their social rights is alarming. However, the VT status could secure access to healthcare for them as it ensures its affordability," said Van Gorp.
Meanwhile, the strict eligibility requirements of the system mean people whose income is just above the income ceiling are not entitled to the benefit, even though this "does not mean that they do not face financial difficulties in the event of high health costs."
Related News
- Wallonia to continue giving bonuses to doctors in shortage areas
- Half of Belgians avoid the dentist due to high costs
CM therefore wants an amendment in the legislation to ensure that mutualities use their position to grant the VT status to vulnerable profiles — specifically single people and single-parent families in case of incapacity for work, unemployment of more than three months, disability or retirement — based on recent income information.
It also wants more efforts to be made to ensure that healthcare is as accessible to young people in low-income households as it is to people growing up in high-income households.
"The gaps in the system must be closed. We aim to ensure that everyone entitled to the increased allowance is granted it so that the non-take-up group is reduced, otherwise the policy misses the mark," Van Gorp concluded.
