One the Netherlands handful of privatised hospitals has cancelled its contract with one of the country’s biggest health insurance companies after being placed on a breast cancer blacklist.

Health insurer CZ says the Slotervaart hospital in Amsterdam has a poor record of breast cancer ops and will no longer refer policyholders there. The hospital argues that its cancer specialists work mainly at a special cancer hospital, which is why so few operations are carried out on its premises. This means the hospital ranks low in the CZ list.
The hospital’s CEO Aysel Erbudak told a tv talk show on Tuesday night it was up to patients to decide where they wanted to be treated, not health insurance companies.
CZ patients will still be free to use the hospital’s services but they will be billed directly and will need to claim the cash back from their insurer.