Netherlands improves healthcare by privatizing it on clarkhoward.com

Clark recently read a story in The Wall Street Journal -- a paper he loves so much that his executive producer Christa calls it his "girlfriend" -- that reinforced a longstanding belief he's had about healthcare. About two years ago, the Netherlands privatized its healthcare system. The government has decreed that everyone has to buy health insurance themselves and that employers are not allowed to provide it. The insurance companies must offer it to everyone regardless of their medical history, and those who can't afford the premiums receive subsidies to help out. So now the Dutch -- who are some of the world's tallest and healthiest people -- have a flourishing private health market. So far the results have been very positive. Healthcare costs have declined significantly since the switch. When you put the consumer in charge, it changes the equation. Clark acknowledges that this experiment is still in its earliest days and that some problems may emerge down the road. But the insurers in our country are constantly alienating the consumer and pushing us closer to socialized medicine, which Clark thinks will be a terrible thing if we ever get there. Will the Dutch model ever gain traction here? Republican presidential hopeful/former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has already gotten heat over his adoption of some principles similar to what they're doing in the Netherlands. Only time will tell…

What others are saying

The Dutch heath care system is not so good in practice
I have been living and studying in Amsterdam, Netherlands for almost six now and I am surprised to read all the good ratings about the Dutch health care system. It is the worst system I have ever encountered. They don't have any prevention medicine, no check ups are made and you can't ask for them, they will refuse to make check up examinations. Most exams are only made if they think you have a very serious problem. The general practitioners barely do anything apart from telling you to go home and rest, despite their very good salaries. It is extremely difficult to get referral for any specialist, even if a specialists examination is essential for diagnosis. And if you do, for many cases you have to wait for weeks to months. So most of the times, even if you're in pain you go home without diagnosis and you don't have a choice to go elsewhere because there is no elsewhere, no private doctors ( or extremely difficult to find, I haven't found any yet, and perhaps difficult to afford if you find one ). In my experience I have seen that basic medical rules are violated, and doctors treat you as a client rather than a patient. They care more not to charge your insurance company than to really find out what is your problem (diagnosis) and make you good (treatment). I saw low ratings for other health care systems, such as of my home country, Cyprus, but in fact things there are much better, and I am saying this as a patient in both systems and not on some weird ratings technique, which I strongly doubt for their integrity . I am literally afraid to get sick here. I really don't understand how they rate health care systems. The really weird thing is that in medical research things are very good, but what is the use of finding for example sophisticated techniques for early diagnosis of diseases, if you have a health care system in the frame of which you are unable to use! I hope things will someday get better, it is a shame for an advanced and beautiful country to have such a terrible health care system.

P.S. If you think I am exaggerating, ask your compatriots who lived here and had health issues if they were satisfied by the medical services they received.
By Nicolas @ 02/09/09 05:03:58 PMreport abuse
future heath provisions may be scarcely sane or orderly
The next move by the elite will be to privatize the American health care system no doubt. Since the big money elite money trail from the fact that the queen of the Netherlands seeks to heavily involved with gene studies on how to control stem cells and therefor control the master genes of humans. That's the eugenics interest they have over there. That the Netherlands and worlds wealthiest families [ Bilderberg: Gates, Walton's, Rockefeller, Ford trucks, Dupont, Buffet] are wanting to give Netherlands a bunch of say with gene studies. they are satanic and don't want humans around anymore competing with them by numbers. The elite are feeling threatened and they will react by shutting down the health care system.

They [elite] prefer nothing more than monitoring pregnancies now more than ever and have already started a DNA sample bank at the cold north of Wisconsin I read a science report and they are sick now.
By stop monitoring preggies @ 09/25/08 07:28:32 PMreport abuse
Dutch Health Cafre
Americans vs. Dutch. The dutch are a more health conscious then us here. The overall cost wold be greater here due to the many people who have been on welfare and expect more free stuff. They will still overburden the system and expect us all to pay the higher premiums to cover their costs. With subsedies to cover cost of premiums to lower income families and individuals we are back to the same thing. Income taxes of the well off to cover those of the have nots.
By Michael @ 06/26/08 09:20:08 PMreport abuse
Health Care
I would love to see the new Dutch privatized heath care system here. I stongly agree that nationaized health care is not a good direction. My health history precludes me from getting a personal policy. I am frustrated by the all black vs. all white proposals of politicians who either want nationalized heath care or alternately feel that the system is OK the way it is - BAH humbug. The only insurance pre-existing high risk people can get costs between $4,000 - $6,000 a month for premiums - entirely unafordable for all but the very rich who could self insure. This leaves two options for people with serious chronic illnesses who cannot work full time: 1) go insured OR 2) get on SS disability (ward of the State) and do not work at all. Bad options. I want to pay a reasonable sum for coverage. Yes, I used to work 65-80 hour weeks and I've always paid taxes . . . what protection can I afford not that I am unfortunately afflicted with illness????
By Ann-Marie @ 06/20/08 06:27:01 PMreport abuse

The Dutch heath care system is not so good in practice

I have been living and studying in Amsterdam, Netherlands for almost six now and I am surprised to read all the good ratings about the Dutch health care system. It is the worst system I have ever encountered. They don't have any prevention medicine, no check ups are made and you can't ask for them, they will refuse to make check up examinations. Most exams are only made if they think you have a very serious problem. The general practitioners barely do anything apart from telling you to go home and rest, despite their very good salaries. It is extremely difficult to get referral for any specialist, even if a specialists examination is essential for diagnosis. And if you do, for many cases you have to wait for weeks to months. So most of the times, even if you're in pain you go home without diagnosis and you don't have a choice to go elsewhere because there is no elsewhere, no private doctors ( or extremely difficult to find, I haven't found any yet, and perhaps difficult to afford if you find one ). In my experience I have seen that basic medical rules are violated, and doctors treat you as a client rather than a patient. They care more not to charge your insurance company than to really find out what is your problem (diagnosis) and make you good (treatment). I saw low ratings for other health care systems, such as of my home country, Cyprus, but in fact things there are much better, and I am saying this as a patient in both systems and not on some weird ratings technique, which I strongly doubt for their integrity . I am literally afraid to get sick here. I really don't understand how they rate health care systems. The really weird thing is that in medical research things are very good, but what is the use of finding for example sophisticated techniques for early diagnosis of diseases, if you have a health care system in the frame of which you are unable to use! I hope things will someday get better, it is a shame for an advanced and beautiful country to have such a terrible health care system.

P.S. If you think I am exaggerating, ask your compatriots who lived here and had health issues if they were satisfied by the medical services they received.

By Nicolas @ 02/09/09 05:03:58 PMreport abuse

future heath provisions may be scarcely sane or orderly

The next move by the elite will be to privatize the American health care system no doubt. Since the big money elite money trail from the fact that the queen of the Netherlands seeks to heavily involved with gene studies on how to control stem cells and therefor control the master genes of humans. That's the eugenics interest they have over there. That the Netherlands and worlds wealthiest families [ Bilderberg: Gates, Walton's, Rockefeller, Ford trucks, Dupont, Buffet] are wanting to give Netherlands a bunch of say with gene studies. they are satanic and don't want humans around anymore competing with them by numbers. The elite are feeling threatened and they will react by shutting down the health care system.

They [elite] prefer nothing more than monitoring pregnancies now more than ever and have already started a DNA sample bank at the cold north of Wisconsin I read a science report and they are sick now.

By stop monitoring preggies @ 09/25/08 07:28:32 PMreport abuse

Dutch Health Cafre

Americans vs. Dutch. The dutch are a more health conscious then us here. The overall cost wold be greater here due to the many people who have been on welfare and expect more free stuff. They will still overburden the system and expect us all to pay the higher premiums to cover their costs. With subsedies to cover cost of premiums to lower income families and individuals we are back to the same thing. Income taxes of the well off to cover those of the have nots.

By Michael @ 06/26/08 09:20:08 PMreport abuse

Health Care

I would love to see the new Dutch privatized heath care system here. I stongly agree that nationaized health care is not a good direction. My health history precludes me from getting a personal policy. I am frustrated by the all black vs. all white proposals of politicians who either want nationalized heath care or alternately feel that the system is OK the way it is - BAH humbug. The only insurance pre-existing high risk people can get costs between $4,000 - $6,000 a month for premiums - entirely unafordable for all but the very rich who could self insure. This leaves two options for people with serious chronic illnesses who cannot work full time: 1) go insured OR 2) get on SS disability (ward of the State) and do not work at all. Bad options. I want to pay a reasonable sum for coverage. Yes, I used to work 65-80 hour weeks and I've always paid taxes . . . what protection can I afford not that I am unfortunately afflicted with illness????

By Ann-Marie @ 06/20/08 06:27:01 PMreport abuse

Listen Live:

Clark On Demand:

Clark's Advice:

Consumer Action Center:

Quick Links:

Clark Media:

Call The Show:

Sep 24, 2007 -- Netherlands improves healthcare by privatizing it

Add your comment

What others are saying