Dutch Health Insurance Proposals

The chairman of the Dutch research-based drug industry associationNefarma, Mr G Worm, has said that health care insurers should in future offer a basic basket of drugs. While in principle all drugs should be available to the insured, extra quality should be available if patients pay extra or insure themselves further against such costs, he said.

Government measures prevent the introduction of new drugs into the insurers' basket, he said. Other disincentives are the price law and the need for the company to prove that new drugs have an economic advantage over existing products.

Meantime the D66 government party says that sick funds should be accessible only to people whose income is too small for them to afford private insurers. Total taxable income would be taken into account, not just wages and salaries, meaning that independent workers such as small shopkeepers would have access to the funds while families with several incomes would have to rely on private insurers.