Search

One of the key items in the upcoming elections for the House of Representatives of the Netherlands is the continuation of the compulsory annual front-end deductible ("own risk") in health insurance. Getting rid of the deductible completely, as proposed by some parties, would create significant budget issues. This article suggests four alternatives. The first option is to abandon the yearly increase to help cover the overall growth in health care spending, and replace it with a maximum level for the deductible. The second is to convert it from a front-end to fixed, but capped co-payment every time care is consumed. The third option is to limit the deductible to out-of-network use of care. The final option is to abolish the deductible completely when a preferred provider is chosen.

Market forces inevitable in health care. - Free markets exist everywhere and have provided us, as a society, with many benefits. A truly free market does not exist: all market sectors are bound within legal frameworks. For health care, the question is not whether a free market is feasible, but within which frameworks does it work exclusively. Establishing the framework is a particular political responsibility. Without the framework, health care will fall prey to political opportunists and lobbyists for pressure groups.