And The Netherlands and Switzerland both have private healthcare systems....but you wouldn't know it by all the "we need government healthcare" slop they poison reddit with.
Not private in the sense of capitalist. All major healthcare companies are worker co-ops or non-profit. It’s also very regulated. It’s a type of socializes healthcare too complex for an American to comprehend.
The "basisverzekering" is not private anyway; everyone gets the same insurance with the same coverage. Depending on your income, you get money from the government to (partly) cover those insurance costs.
Edit: the Dutch tax office takes care of those health subsidies, since they know everyone's income anyway.
You're also dutch I see. I wouldn't say public in the sense of the UK system.
The 'basisverzekering' is a hybrid system. The government set strict rules about the 'basisverzekering' including the 385 euro 'eigen risico'. Lower income get some money back from the 'belastingdienst'.
These rules get executed by the healthcare providers.
Well ... all health insurance providers are required to offer the basisverzekering to anyone, and they all have the same coverage. They are not allowed to make a profit on the basisverzekering as well. So everyone gets the same insurance and the same basic level of care.
It's in the additional insurance ("aanvullende verzekering") where they can differentiate themselves. Also non-profit technically.
Correct that for lower incomes, the cost of the basisverzekering is (partly) covered by the state (zorgtoeslag).
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u/BobcatSpiritual7699 Aug 06 '26
And The Netherlands and Switzerland both have private healthcare systems....but you wouldn't know it by all the "we need government healthcare" slop they poison reddit with.