In Feb 2011 when my contract came up for renewal I was put on monthly contracts.
Going to work each day, not knowing if I would have a job the following month was putting me under a lot of pressure.
I had a panic attack on day, difficulty breathing etc. My boss had a collegue drive me to hospital, where I was kept overnight.
Long story short. The bill came to +/- 1200 euro, my share was about 500.(I'd have to check my records for exact figures.)
My question is how much of this was charging twice or for treatments I didn't recieve?
PS 500 euro is more than my net pay for the week.

By Donaugh | February 23, 2012 9:13 AM

I would be surprised if this did not happen. It is very strange that we, the patients, do not get informed about the costs of our treatments either by the hospital or by the insurance company.

By puskul | February 23, 2012 10:12 AM

So the hospitals here are committing fraud with the now privatized health insurance companies! Guess who will have to pay for this - me and you folks. This type of corporate fraud and dishonesty makes me very very angry.

By Bill | February 23, 2012 12:50 PM

The health care system in our country is an absolute and insane waste of resources.
Meanwhile in countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweeden, Finland, France, Germany, Austria or Spain, having a taxation level similar than ours, the people enjoy a free public health care system, with a complete catalog of services, supported on general taxation system.
So the two key questions are, why is it not possible in our country?
And, what are exactly the beneficts on paying twice (one by taxes, plus another one by payment to a private insurance company).?

By zenplus | February 23, 2012 1:13 PM

Easy Solution. Every time the insurance company pays a hospital's or doctor's bill, send an email or hardcopy to the patient. This is the only place I have lived that I have no overview of my medical costs - doctor, pharmacy or hospital. I would certainly complain if I saw bills being paid twice, or fictitious treatments popping up. Also, itemize everything, instead of just listing a lot of codes with no explanation. Dentists can do it, so why can't the rest of the medical profession.

By jaycee | February 23, 2012 5:29 PM

@zenplus, when you account for the net tax burden, Netherlands is below Denmark, France and Germany. Like 6% below. And waste and fraud are problems in all health systems, the difference is that nobody cares because nobody is "paying" directly for it.

By Andre L. | February 23, 2012 5:41 PM

@Zen: It IS possible, there's just too much greed in the way.

By Stupid | February 23, 2012 7:53 PM

Having spent 40 years as an American pharmacist, I am of the opinion that when profit and health care meet it is profit, not health care, which comes out on top.

By Ron | February 24, 2012 3:02 AM

But of course. Take something which is not meant to be profitable, like public healthcare. Put an unnecessary, (privately run but funded by all of us) intermediary between the healthcare providers and the patients to administer and manage healthcare. And this is what you get: unreasonably high premiums, an opportunity for both hospitals and health insurers to commit fraud due to the in-between bureaucracy and all in all, one of the worst healthcare systems in Western Europe. But rest assured - corruption only exists in Southern Europe, right?

By Alice | February 24, 2012 7:48 AM

It's this kind of news revalation that makes me sick and it probably happens in more countries. There are sites such as Avaaz where people can protest and bring these matters out in the open and in the eyes of millions. Expose the fraudsters!

By AW | February 24, 2012 8:29 AM

It baffles me how people cannot see that the system in the Netherlands is DESIGNED for this. Under this sysem, the hospitals profit, the insurance companies profit, and the ordinary person... funds all those profits. It is NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS of the insurance companies, or the hospitals, to alter this!

Healthcare, run as a business for profit, will always function this way.

By Alistair Wiseman | February 24, 2012 1:38 PM