Municipality's participation in Integral Care Agreement temporarily halted

What is the IZA?

The IZA is an agreement between health care parties, municipalities, the state and health insurers to promote the movement from care to health.

Why has participation in IZA been suspended?

Municipalities are struggling with limited budgets and cutbacks, such as the cutback on preventive care announced by the cabinet (€300 million). This is at odds with the ambition of the IZA, which means that in the longer term municipalities will not be able to adequately fulfill the goals within the IZA.

The new cabinet wants to work with the IZA partners to continue the Integral Care Agreement, expanded with a number of new elements, in a new (broader) Supplementary Care and Welfare Agreement (AZWA). The VNG states, "We will not enter into discussions on this new agreement (AZWA) until we have been able to agree on more equal decision-making and financing." This means that municipalities will stop using IZA at this time until good agreements are made with the central government and health insurers. There are high hopes that those will be in place in the course of a few weeks.

What does it mean for you as an organization?

As long as municipalities are not part of IZA, there is a high chance that the subsidy linked to IZA (SPUK IZA) will be discontinued from the central government. This will then also have consequences for projects of municipalities with its partners that are (partly) funded from the IZA budget. It is as yet impossible to predict exactly what the consequences will be. Where possible, collaborations with care and welfare parties, health insurers and municipalities in the region will be continued. When more is known, the municipality of Zoetermeer will inform its care and welfare partners.