Health minister Edith Schippers is moving full steam ahead to overhaul the healthcare system. An overview:

Health minister Edith Schippers is steering a complicated package of reforms through parliament. The changes involve a radical overhaul of the current healthcare system. Over the past decade, the cost of healthcare has risen by 4% a year, while the economy has only grown 2%, according to finance ministry figures.
The Netherlands spent €60bn on healthcare last year and the health ministry overspent its budget considerably. So what are the main planks of the minister’s policy?
1. Market forces
Schippers believes encouraging hospitals to compete with each other will cut costs and improve services.
At the moment, some 70% of hospital fees are decided by the government and hospitals have the right to set the remaining prices. From 2012, hospitals will be free to set their own fees for 70% of treatment.
Schippers hopes this will encourage health insurance companies to negotiate better prices for their clients. However, this may mean patients have to go to a hospital chosen by their insurer.
2. Care in the community
The minister is keen to see the development of large local health centres combining doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, dieticians, dentists and other care providers. This means patients can use a wide range of local care services.
Hospitals will become more specialized and no longer carry out simple procedures which can also be done at a local level. In addition, not all hospitals will offer all surgery, so again, patients may have to travel to a hospital further away.
Schippers is also taking action to keep down medical specialist fees.
3. Long term care
Long term care – from nursing homes to walking aids – is currently paid for out of the AWBZ fund. Everyone pays premiums towards the.
The minister is planning to shift a large part of the care currently paid for through the AWBZ to local authority control. They will also get funding to carry out this work.
People who live in some form of care home or institution will soon have to pay rent for their accommodation and will be entitled to housing benefits if necessary.
The personal health budget (pgb) is to be abolished for most of the 130,000 current claimants. Instead of being given money to buy help to live at home, most claimants will have to go to their local council or health insurer for help.
4. Health insurance
In the Netherlands, health insurance is provided by private companies but the government determines what should be included in the basic care package. Insurers can then offer extra treatment in top-up policies.
Schippers is scrapping help to people who want to stop smoking and improve their diet from the basic health insurance package. Physiotherapy for chronic conditions will cost more and people with psychiatric problems will get five rather than eight treatment sessions, and pay higher fees. Medicine against stomach acid will no longer be free either.
The minister is also cutting €132m off the budgets for family doctors because they spent too much in previous years.
In order to make patients aware of the cost of their treatment (most bills automatically go from the healthcare provider to insurance company) the minister has told insurance companies to publish hospital and other treatment fees on their websites.