The health gap between the well-educated and the less well-educated is growing, according to a report published on Tuesday by the public health board RVZ.

A decade ago, less well-educated women began to have health problems 16 years before their better-educated peers. The gap has now widened to 20 years, says the RVZ and quoted in the Volkskrant.
The board wants the government to introduce a fat tax on unhealthy food and for the btw (vat) on food to be increased to the highest level, rather than the lowest as is currently the case. This would discourage people from overeating, it says.
According to the RVZ, around 1% of total healthcare premiums should be used for a ‘prevention fund’ which councils, insurers and healthcare organisations could use to encourage people to live healthier lives.
‘It would be an investment in the future,’ said RVZ chairman Rien Meijerink.