Nearly half of French-speaking students in Belgium have foregone at least one healthcare service this year due to financial constraints, according to a survey published on Monday by Solidaris.
The socialist mutual insurer noted a sharp decline in healthcare accessibility for students, with a 5-point increase in financial barriers over the past year and a 21-point increase over the past 11 years.
This marks the third consecutive year of worsening records in healthcare avoidance among this demographic.
Mental health services are the most neglected, as 26% of students have skipped psychological or psychiatric care due to costs. This figure has surged by 10 points in just one year and 16 points over the past decade.
Other areas of care have also been affected, including specialist consultations, ophthalmology, and access to medications.
Overall, 41% of the French-speaking Belgian population has delayed or skipped healthcare services in the past year, compared with 32% in 2015, according to the study, which surveyed more than 1,200 people and has a margin of error of 3%.
Despite some improvement since the peak of 48% in 2019, several groups remain particularly vulnerable, such as single-parent families (60%), economically precarious groups, unemployed individuals (where mental health care avoidance has jumped by 16 points to reach 37%), and pensioners (37%).
Gender disparities are also stark, with nearly one in two women compared to only one in three men skipping healthcare services.
Solidaris has proposed measures to address these challenges, including guaranteeing a decent income for those unable to work. It suggests raising minimum benefits to 10% above the poverty threshold from the first month of incapacity and revising how compensation is calculated for workers transitioning to part-time jobs, ensuring they are financially protected.
The organisation further advocates strengthening the financial protection of vulnerable groups by capping additional fees, generalising third-party payment systems, and automatically extending the BIM status (beneficiaries of increased intervention) to single-parent families. It also recommends setting income-based caps on nursing home costs.
For better affordability, Solidaris calls for improved reimbursement systems and greater tariff security for patients.
Regarding mental health, the organisation emphasises increasing tailored care options for students and removing limits on reimbursed sessions for young people aged 23 or under seeking first-line psychological support.
