14 reactions to this article

Vaclav Zak posted: 01-03-2008 | 11:37 AM

Hi,
I would be glad if somebody could send me a link where I could find information about legal form of Dutch hospitals, especially large ones where doctors are educated.
Thanks Vaclav

Veena posted: 30-10-2008 | 12:46 PM

I've recently moved to Amsterdam, and in trying to get health insurance through my employer I've learned that in order to get health insurance I must have a residence permit (according to my HR department this is Dutch Law). As I'm still being processed through the IND it could take a few months before I get a residence permit. It also seems that in order to get a residence permit I must first have health insurance. I noticed this is not mentioned in the article here. Has anyone else had this experience?

Andrew posted: 11-02-2009 | 12:59 PM

The article claims that your are free to choose your health insurance. In practice however you are limited to Dutch insurance companies as these are the only ones recognised as offering the legally required cover. Expats often prefer worldwide or regional health cover so that they can get treatment paid for wherever they happen to be - the current Dutch system forces you to take out local insurance as well as or instead of any worldwide cover. In effect the new system creates a nice monopoly for local insurers and you could argue that it represents a barrier to the free movement of labour.

abigail1 posted: 12-08-2009 | 12:31 PM

This is so irresponsible. The HEALTH CARE is not the same as the HEALTH CARE system. The Dutch health care, in terms of quality, is years behind state-of-the-art. Its so-called "non-interventionist" policy contributes to the fact that it has a frighteningly high cancer fatality rate (mammograms, anyone?), one of the worst infant mortality rates in the developed world, and does not even offer certain medications and cancer treatments because they are too expensive. It would be one thing if Holland had a two-tier system, in which those who could afford certain treatments and wanted them could have access, but that's not the case. Rather, it's like a schoolroom, where if every child can't have candy, no one can have candy. It's third-world. Let's not propagandize here, folks. Dutch health care is not "high." It's just cheap. No surprise there.

Claudia posted: 12-08-2009 | 2:25 PM

Let's say that as long as you are healthy, no need to worry..... and if you do get sick, then the chance you need to get help somewhere else (own country?!?) is very high.

Jack Fanoy posted: 12-08-2009 | 2:26 PM

I would like to reply to Andrew (posted 11/02/2009).

There are a couple of specialised Insurance Brokers, such as ISEP BV, able to arrange Medical Health Insurance worldwide.
The point is indeed that it takes month to get a residence permit and before getting this document it is almost impossible to find an insurer willing to grant you Basic Health Insurance cover before that.
ISEP works closely together with insurers able to arrange immediate cover. Once you obtained the Residence Permit and other useful documents, like the GBA-form and a pay-slip proving that you pay Dutch Social security etc., these companies can transfer you to the standard Dutch Basic Health Cover.
Once you are moving abroad you can then change your policy again into an International Medical Insurance with worldwide cover.
For further information, please visit their website: www.isep.nl
Kind Regards,
Jack Fanoy

John Connor posted: 14-08-2009 | 12:17 PM

Which health care??? This website is so biased!!

Rene Donk posted: 16-08-2009 | 5:06 PM

Dutch Healthcare is very good but a requirement is that you have to stay healthy, otherwise it means take a number and hope you don't die before a doctor sees you. That is why there is such a shortage in healtcare personel in Holland.
We immigrated from Holland to America in 1958 because of the free choice and great care. But it is a fact that Health Insurance here in America is very expensive and lately hardly affordable especially for the senior citizen on only Social Security income. Now Obama wants to get us to Socialized care. We might as wel move back to Holland....take a number and hope we don't die waiting for a doctor to see us. Mr. Reagan if I could bring you back to life I would. From all the Presidents you had the most common sense. I am sure you would have an answer to this fat mess we are in.

Juan posted: 30-09-2009 | 11:54 AM

Is it fools day? Else I can't understand this article. Dutch health system is better than many countries, mostly third world countries... However, when it comes to European standards many expats end up returning to their original countries for health care. Why? Not because of language barriers, but due to the lack of care that people receive. The "non-interventionist" approach relies on probability, and I prefer to be 100% sure I don't have cancer, and 99% sure I don't have cancer... 1% is far too much to risk someone's life.

Peter posted: 30-09-2009 | 12:26 PM

Dear Sir/madam,

Whoever wrote this article has no idea at all about the Dutch Health Service and, frankly, ought to be shot for failing to properly research this subject.

From one who has unfortunately in-depth experience of the Dutch health System, let me say clearly that it is the worst system in Europe and borders closely upon lower third world standards.

Their ability to diagnose problems is often wrong.

Try to convince a young Girl of 6 years old otherwise who was incorrectly diagnosed and who subsequently died a horrible death. In the end, the Dutch gave up because they simply did not know what was wrong. A German consultant who just happened to be at the hospital in the later stages, just before her blood coagulated, offered a correct diagnosis and swiftly contacted colleagues around the World to obtain a cure. As it was, this German intervention was too late. If the Dutch had consulted earlier the child may still be alive.

The Dutch are often too slow to react, particularly when the patient is a foreigner. They do not have the knowledge and they are too proud to contact outsiders who can help.

Give your opinion to this Girl's Mother!

A Lady from Africa had developed an acute pain in her wrists. After accusing the Doctor of racial discrimination, the Doctor then explained the full range of possible causes and treatments. He did not explain beforehand. This of another well known Dutch Hospital.!

How about a standard operation by the chief surgeon of a reputed Hospital?

This Chief Surgeon continued to operate when his view of the anatomy was obscured. This goes against all good medical practice. Because the anatomy was obscured and his proud declaration that he knew what he was doing, the wrong part of the anatomy was removed and the Patient's body could no longer support life without artificial means. As it was, the patient was not expected to survive: he did but not because of the Dutch.

A non-invasive approach?

The above patient who miraculously survived the above described ordeal, remains in fear of an early death. The operation to repair his body can fail at any time. This threat appeared to come true and the Surgeon, out of the two possibilities for the deterioration in health, chose stubbornly to consider only one of the two possibilities. IT WAS THE WRONG DIAGNOSIS. The required treatment meant piercing the patient's liver from one side to the other in order to provide a cure. The Surgeon wished to do this just to check whether a further operation was necessary. There was available in the same Hospital a non-invasive procedure to first check whether surgery was necessary. It was expensive and, even though the Patient was insured, the Hospital the Hospital refused to offer this non-invasive approach.

As it was, the Patient himself refused to accept the diagnosis and choose to investigate the second cause of the deterioration in health. This was the correct course of action and it was confirmed by Doctors in Paris, France. The French Doctors reacted swiftly with a correct diagnosis and the patient was cured of a bacterial infection that had nothing to do with the earlier negligent damage to his body. This patient was also a foreigner.

Even if they are insured under the Dutch medical system , the Dutch medical service will not spend money on foreigners.

The Dutch surgeon refused to accept the evidence of the French medical system and their diagnosis. He still cannot understand how it is possible that the patient is still alive when the operation had apparently failed.

When it comes to the Dutch Medical Insurance, more often than not the insurance does not pay, particularly if it is for foreign medical services that have been sought as a second opinion ……….

...... and, the Medical Insurance System in its new form was originally started with the idea that if the Customer did not use the medical insurance during any one year, there would be a rebate to the customer of the premiums up to a certain amount. This was not good for the insurance industry, and the law was changed to remove the rebate and to put in its place a system where the customer would be obliged to pay the first 150 euros of any claims without any possibility of a rebate. Thus, the customer pays a high insurance and then has no choice but to also pay an excess.
One final note, if you take a hospital to Court, then be aware that the medical industry is corrupt. For the patient who underwent surgery, the medical advisor after five years, one week before the court appearance, changed his opinion from one of medical negligence to one of medical competence. The Lawyer failed to inform his client of the change of opinion at an interview and the client did not discover the change of opinion until he was sitting in front of the Court. The Lawyer did know of the change of opinion one week before the trial. The Lawyer did not seek a second medical opinion but instead attempted to persuade the client to accept a compromise with the Hospital!

The Dutch law supports the distinction between a medical complication and medical negligence. A complication is not actionable but negligence is. As far as the Dutch medical pride is concerned, a fault is always a complication!

Safe in Dutch Hands? Frankly, if you wish to live, then go elsewhere.

Unfortunately for a pensioner who had a treatable cancer, the Dutch Hospital refused to accept the help of the best Swiss Doctors who had a cure, willing and available to help. The patient died unnecessarily. Another Foreigner but one who had lived more than twenty years in the Netherlands.

The Dutch have the technology but they do not have the knowledge to use it. A young woman who had just qualified as a nurse under the Dutch system, had just returned from a six month period of practical work experience in a French Hospital. Her husband is French and she was moving to France with her husband. She was amazed at how much knowledge a French nurse had after a three year course and shocked at how little her knowledge was after a four year course!

A belief in any religion will help you much more than a belief in the Dutch Medical System.

Good luck.

Peter Charles

JBA posted: 30-09-2009 | 9:41 PM

...NOT! After having lived in The Netherlands for several years, my experiencies and those of dozens of expats I know, are extremelly disappointed. Dutch healthcare is bad. Period. It has the worst of private (high prices) with the worse of publc (over-crowding, waiting lists, etc). I had surgery there and the medical level was underpar (definitely worse than my home Spain). So far I've found the British NHS system to be one of the best in the world. Not the Dutch.

Idaflorence posted: 30-09-2009 | 10:37 PM

Dutch healthcare is sh@#$...its the worst in Europe - not the best. Non-interventionist??? means that a Dutch doctor sits on one side of the desk and asks you what is wrong. Never touches you and certainly would not prescribe antibiotics, unless of course you are actually dead, in which case he would recommend euthanasia to you.
Dont kid yourselves - if you have lived anywhere else in Western Europe, you would never ever recommend the Dutch system to anyone. Maybe its better than the Turkish system? I dont know. Be very interesting to know the criteria on which this inane statement is based.

JBA posted: 01-10-2009 | 8:15 AM

Child mortality is high (amongst the highest in Europe - 25% higher than in Spain, 100% higher than in Finland), family doctors (huisarts) do not turn you away for being full: they're just lazy like most Ducth and are not bothered to "work more". On a country that th average individual tax burden is well above 40%, having to pay, on top of that, for health insurance is ridiculous. And that does not even cover for a decent preganancy follow up and child delivery in a modern hospital room. The Ducth health care system is third world class. Period. Talk to any non-dutch and 99% are going to tell you the same. Go to other countries and there is only a fraction of expats unhappy with the local health care. That speaks by itself.

The USA health care system is bad, but having experienced both, the Dutch is FAR worse.

Hypotheken vergelijken posted: 14-10-2009 | 2:10 PM

I'm from Holland and our health care system works great!
http://www.bizzeker.nl/hypotheken/hypotheek-vergelijken