Good NewsHour segment this evening on health care in other countries. Today focused on The Netherland. Very interesting. Get on your wooden shoes and follow me.....
Todays NewsHour segment on heath care reviewed the four year old health care program that was implemented in The Netherlands to help cover all their citizens while controlling costs. A public/private partnership, it sure sounds like something the US should investigate further.
No transcript up yet but the audio can be found here:
Health Care in The Netherlands
Highlights:
- Program has been in place for 4 years after a major overhaul of HC.
- Dutch population is trending older with more young immigrants.
- Idea was to use insurance companies to help control costs.
- All citizens are required to purchase a basic health care package.
- Basic package costs about $160/month.
- Package costs are controlled so insurance companies which provide the coverage have to compete based upon service and quality.
- Low income residents HC costs are subsidized by the government.
- Insurance companies have to accept all persons regardless of age or pre-existing conditions.
- One insurance company representative mentions that they rate hospitals and doctors so patients can chose their providers based upon quality.
- The government helps insurance companies with high cost patients by subsidizing coverage for folks with high costs / long term care.
- For one patient that found she had breast cancer she was in treatment within 7-10 days at no cost to her.
- Some people are going to the Netherlands from the States because of their health care program - which could bankrupt them if they stayed in the States.
The NewsHour also provides an overview of coverage in 5 countries:
Compare
Including the US, Canada, The Netherlands, Japan and Mexico....
Well, healthcare in the US appears to be better than in Mexico - but at per capita cost almost 10x higher in the US. We don't look so good vs. the Dutch who get better results at a cost that is almost half what we spend.
Socialism? Bring It On.
Worth listening to the segment. Transcipt will probably follow tomorrow.
Go Corzine...Beat Christie.
Tx