The contraceptive pill, used by 1.5 million women in the Netherlands, should no longer be paid by the health insurance system, according to new recommendations from the government’s health insurance advisory council.

The birth control pill was taken out of the basic health insurance package several years ago but put back in 2008.
The council says preventing pregnancy is not the same as preventing illness, so the pill does not have a place in the health insurance system. Other contraceptive methods, such as condoms, are not included, it points out. Scrapping the pill will save some €58m a year.
The health ministry usually adopts the council’s recommendations, Nos news said.