The number of people in the Netherlands who can’t pay for their health insurance is continuing to rise. Every day, hundreds of customers ask their insurance companies for help in paying their health insurance premiums.

Insurers are usually flexible with people in difficulties but, if arrears continue for six months, customers are referred to the CVZ college of health insurers. Then the arrears are recovered directly from wages or benefits.

At present, there are over 300,000 people with compulsory repayment orders from the CVZ, up from 244,000 at the end of 2010. The government introduced the CVZ orders in an attempt to reduce the number of people in arrears. The attempt has failed.

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