American policy makers are interested in the Dutch healthcare system. The combination of competition, universal healthcare coverage and relatively high quality impressed a delegation from the United States, visiting the Netherlands last week.
Kerry Weens, a senior official in the Department of Health led the US delegation. The Americans paid a visit to the kidney disease wing of the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). Mr Weens said he was impressed with what he had seen. “We’re intrigued by many of the ideas that we see, such as moving toward more market based solutions. In general I think there’s a lot of consistency between the Dutch system and the US system.”Competition introduced
Mr Weens was referring to a recent overhaul in the way Dutch people purchase health insurance which have made the Dutch system more competitive. Two years ago, a new law went into effect requiring every resident of the Netherlands to purchase their own health insurance, while the insurance companies were forced to embrace open market laws and offer competitive prices for their insurances. But unlike in the United States, for those who can’t afford insurance, the Dutch state still chips in to cover part of the cost. (more…)