The new government’s plans to make health insurance premiums largely income-dependent and paid for via tax receipts may conflict with EU rules on state support for industry, the head of the health insurance company association said on Thursday.

André Rouvoet, a former MP, said when the changes are introduced in 2014, some 85% of health insurance funding will come via tax. ‘I think Brussels will call that state support rather quickly’, Rouvoet told Radio 1.
His organisation, Zorgverzekeraars Nederland, plans to take legal advice on the issue and the cabinet would be well advised to do the same, Rouvoet said.
‘I want to prevent parliament embarking on a complicated path… only to discover at the end it is not allowed by Brussels,’ Rouvoet said.
At the moment, some 50% of insurance company income comes from government taxes.