Health Minister Vandenbroucke attacks colleague Simonet over 'personal attacks'

Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke sharply criticized his colleague, State Secretary for Middle Classes Éléonore Simonet, over her public statements concerning the BIM status system for healthcare benefits. The dispute centers on a letter Simonet received from her mutual insurance company, suggesting she might be eligible for increased healthcare intervention.

Vandenbroucke expressed exasperation, stating on Thursday in Parliament that Simonet's interpretation of the letter was inaccurate. "What is circulating about this system is starting to become completely absurd," he declared. He explained that the letter, sent in 2025, was based on fiscal data from 2024, during which Simonet was a trainee lawyer and a parliamentarian. Crucially, parliamentary income is not always included in standard tax filings, leading to incomplete data for the mutual insurance company.

"The tax administration did not take it into account during the notification to the mutual insurance company. And the mutual insurance company sends the letter based on the known data," Vandenbroucke elaborated. He asserted that even if all her income had been considered, Simonet would not have qualified for the increased intervention. "It is therefore not a question of door-to-door selling, nor of automatic and unsolicited granting. Moreover, this invitation letter would never have been sent if the mutual insurance company had been able to obtain signals from the available databases concerning all of her income," he added.

The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between Vandenbroucke's Vooruit party and Simonet's MR party regarding the reform of mutual insurance companies. While Simonet presented the letter as an example of potential abuses by mutuals, Vandenbroucke defended the system's integrity and accused her of misrepresenting the facts. The debate has sparked reactions across the political spectrum, with some observing the joust with amusement.