WRITTEN QUESTION E-0177/00 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Making low-cost health insurance subject to free competition.
3. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 280 E/195 (2000/C 280 E/227) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0177/00 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (31 January 2000) Subject: Making low-cost health insurance subject to free competition 1. Can the Commission confirm the accuracy of the announcement by the Council for Public Health and Care (RVZ) in the Netherlands to the effect that the Medical Insurance (Access) Act (WTZ) may no longer provide for a low-cost ístandard package policyí for people over the age of 65, which every private insurer is obliged to offer? Can the Commission also confirm that the MOOZ,í the solidarity levy paid by all privately insured 2. persons to compensate health insurance funds with a large number of elderly insured persons for their low premiums and high costs, is no longer authorised by the European Union? Does the Commission realise that, if the answers to questions 1 and 2 are yes, hundreds of thousands 3. of individual insured persons on low incomes will find themselves in difficulty? 4. Can the Commission also confirm that it is considering other measures which would, if implemented, lead to a sharp increase in public-sector expenditure on health care, for instance the obligation to conclude contracts with a larger number of health care providers and agreements on health care costs and cover? 5. What action does the Commission intend to take to prevent health care in the Netherlands from free becoming subordinate to considerations of competition is to increase individual and public-sector expenditure on the existing health care package unnecessarily? in particular when the result of free competition, Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (14 March 2000) It is for each Member State to organise its social security system (including health systems) as it wishes, and to determine the conditions for entitlement to benefits under those systems, providing of course that they do so in accordance with Community law. There are Community provisions on the co-ordination of social security systems removing obstacles to the free movement of people within the Community and provisions on discrimination between men and women in social security. However, the Commission is not aware of the specific announcement described by the Honourable Member, nor of any Community measures with the characteristics described. The Commission will therefore seek further information from the Dutch authorities. (2000/C 280 E/228) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0182/00 by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission (31 January 2000) Subject: Exclusion from the right to deduct VAT on cars in Austria In Austria it is not possible to deduct VAT on passenger cars and estate cars; this results in blatant distortion of competition for Austrian undertakings compared with other Member States. The section of the Commissionís proposal for a directive COM(98) 377 final (1) covering the harmonisation of provisions on expenditure not eligible for deduction of the full VAT, as amended by the European Parliament, should therefore be implemented immediately