The Netherlands’ healthcare system Analysis Essay

The Netherlands’ healthcare system
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Abstract
The Dutch healthcare system runs on statutory health insurance system that is characterized by universal private insurance although the government regulates and subsidizes insurance. The community-rated insurance premiums, general tax revenue, and earmarked payroll tax are the major sources of financing of the healthcare system. The role of private insurance is to provide statutory benefit whereby 84% of them buy complementary coverage for benefits that statutory package does not cover and the resultant competition in addition to regulation leads to quality services.
Introduction
The Dutch healthcare system is characterized by universal health coverage that is obligatory for all citizens. However, the government's role in the direct control of prices and volumes is minimal, as it has resigned to a supervisory role leaving space for fair competition in health care markets.
The government's role
Netherland's healthcare system is universal, with the government having a fundamental role in providing health care benefits for its population. This development follows the passage of the social security Act in 1938, although, at the same time, the private sector gets public support (Wammes et al., 2019). The country has an entity known as the New Zealand Health Strategy that oversees its central role in agenda-setting and service requirements. Additionally, the entity is responsible for determining the publicly funded annual health budget. However, the responsibility for planning, procuring, and providing health services and disability support to those above 65 years lies on District Health Boards (DHBs). The boards have the responsibility of pursuing government goals, objectives, and targets as they operate government-owned hospitals in addition to providing community support and purchasing services from non-governmental entities.
Netherlands' health care system is financed publicly. All the permanent residents have access to a variety of services funded through general taxes. However, the nonresidents pay for these services unless the treatment is related to an accident, whereby the no-fault accident compensation scheme covers the costs involved (Kroneman et al., 2017). General taxes generated from public spending account for the highest percentage of total healthcare spending. For example, in 2015, the overall healthcare spending was 9.4 percent of the GDP, and general taxes accounted for approximately 80% of this spending (Wammes et al., 2019). Varieties of organizations offer private health insurance, accounting for only 5% of total health care expenditure. This type of insurance covers cost-sharing requirements, elective surgery, and outpatient specialist consultations in private hospitals. Approximately a third of the Netherlands population has some form of private insuranc...