WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao is moving ahead with adjustments to tariffs for medical laboratory tests, even though the legal framework for the Curaçao Health Authority has not yet been finalized. This is stated in a recent advisory opinion by the Sociaal-Economische Raad (SER).
In its advice, the SER reviews a proposed new tariff structure for laboratory diagnostics and places it within the broader context of healthcare oversight. According to the council, long-term and structural regulation of healthcare tariffs is intended to be handled by the Curaçaose Zorgautoriteit. However, the legislation required to formally establish this authority has not yet entered into force.
The SER notes that the government had previously indicated that the relevant legislation would be submitted to the Curaçao Parliament by the end of 2025. That has not happened so far, leaving the island without a clear legal framework for supervising healthcare tariffs and monitoring cost developments in the sector.
As a result, the SER warns that setting and enforcing healthcare tariffs becomes more challenging without a solid statutory basis. This applies not only to laboratory diagnostics, but also to other areas of healthcare where cost control and transparency are essential.
The advisory council does not speculate on when the legislation establishing the Curaçao Health Authority will be finalized and submitted. In the meantime, Curaçao continues to make tariff adjustments in a regulatory environment that, according to the SER, remains incomplete.