The Netherlands is known for having one of the best healthcare systems in the world, giving people access to the most advanced treatments and preventative care. The Dutch healthcare system is broadly based on three principles: universal access to care, solidarity through mandatory medical insurance (which is provided to all), and high-quality healthcare services. Several historical trends and changes, as well as social conditions, have molded the Dutch healthcare system. The comprehensive reforms in 2006 changed the role of stakeholders and actors in the healthcare sector, while the 2015 reform was targeted towards containing costs related to long-term care. Everyone registered in the Netherlands needs to have medical insurance, children under the age of 18 are registered for free under the policy of one of their parents.
Financing
Dutch healthcare is largely financed through compulsory health insurance contributions from citizens, general taxation, and government grants. The Netherlands spent over 11 percent of
its GDP on health in 2022, one of the
highest in Europe. The total healthcare expenditure in proportion to GDP has kept rising since 2003, and it was
projected to further increase by seven percent share of GDP from 2050. The
per capita health expenditure was 7.1 thousand euros in 2022, an increase of nearly 50 percent compared to 2007. The
national healthcare expenditure in 2022 reached a value of more than 107 billion euros.
Health insurance
The flagship Health Insurance Act (Zvw) in 2006, integrated public and private health insurance into one mandate. The government determines what must be included in the basic healthcare available to all policy holders.
Out-of-pocket cost for the basic insurance plan (Zvw) on average amounted to 1,548 euros per person in 2022. Secondly, all policy holders pay a
mandatory policy excess, this was set at 385 euros in 2022 before the Zvw reimbursement kicks in. Depending on one’s healthcare needs supplemental insurance can be opted for which is fully private in nature, i.e., with no rules set by the government. In the Netherlands, there are 11 large health care insurance
concerns, each with multiple companies. Some of these companies may also own multiple health insurance
brands or labels. In 2022, excluding Achmea, the three biggest health insurance
concerns in the Netherlands saw their
market share decrease in favor of their smaller competitors.
Hospital and Pharmacies
There were 618
hospitals in the country as of 2020, with approximately 50.7 thousand
hospital beds. In 2019, approximately 592 thousand people were
employed in the health care sector in the Netherlands. While the
number of public pharmacies in the Netherlandsdecreased slightly from 1,989 in 2017 to 1,975 in 2023.
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