Take the market out of healthcare
In the past decades, market forces have destroyed Dutch healthcare. Long waiting times, fragmented youth care facilities, inadequate care from the Social Support Act (Wmo) - all this care is inaccessible for many people. In 2015, care provision in the Netherlands was further decentralised and municipalities were given a larger role. Under the guise of 'customisation', far-reaching cuts were justified. In practice, this caused fragmented care provision, less quality control, and especially more room for market forces. This must change radically.
Care is not a market, but a fundamental necessity of life. This means that we are committed to removing the tendering procedure from the Wmo and youth care in the long term, to removing the hard cut from youth care, and to ending the personal contribution for the Wmo. There will also be extra attention for care for marginalised groups, such as LGBT+ persons, trans people, refugees, undocumented people, and the homeless.
For equal and safe care, with less market and more human, BIJ1 proposes the following:
- The municipality will be committed to a substantial wage increase for care staff. In addition, care personnel will receive a free parking permit and social housing will be made available to them.
- At the municipal level, we will remove the tendering procedure from the care sector. The tendering procedure will be replaced by a subsidy model based on long-term cooperation with local care institutions.
- To increase the access of refugees, undocumented and homeless people to care, the municipality will set up a fund so that care outside the basic package can be reimbursed for them.
- The work of informal carers will be valued more highly. There will be a fair financial valuation of their work.
- Experience expertise will be the starting point of care. This means that there will be expert panels for all target groups, in which people for whom the care is intended will participate in discussing and deciding on appropriate care.
- Informed consent will be the starting point for all care in Amsterdam.
- The personal contribution for the WMO is to be abolished for incomes below average.
- We will support low-literate people in understanding medical information.
- Subsidy requirements for anti-discrimination policies will be introduced for healthcare institutions. There will also be agreements and training to prevent racism, (cis)sexism and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the care sector.
- Waiting lists for transgender care will be reduced significantly.
- Sufficient care will be provided for the elderly, including those who still live at home.
- To counteract the rapid digitalisation (and dehumanisation) of care in the city, the municipality will combat the arrival of harmful technology companies in the care sector.
- Waiting times in youth care, especially in complex youth psychiatry, will be much shorter. Youth care must also be made more accessible.
- The hard cut must be removed from youth care. When you turn 18, care will not suddenly stop.