Health Insurance Reform in the Netherlands

At the beginning of 2006 the Dutch government introduced a fundamental reform of the health insurance system. The aim of this reform was to improve quality and efficiency of the health care system by introducing a uniform health insurance system and intensifying managed competition between health insurers . In this paper the authors give an overview of the key features of the reform. They analyse the short-term effects of the reform with regard to financial consequences and consumer mobility. Finally, the authors discuss the long-term consequences of the reform and its implications for cross-country policy learning.