Lessons from Abroad: Jonathan Cohn on the Dutch Health Care System
<p>A new international series on <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=0B67ACA7A5CB453CB876F3DB59E19448&_z=z">The Commonwealth Fund Blog </a>by Jonathan Cohn, senior editor at the <em>New Republic</em>, launches today with an exploration of the Dutch health care system, which includes many features of a high-performance health system. </p>
<p>In the first of a two-part post, Cohn describes how the Netherlands manages to provide virtually everyone with high-quality and convenient medical care—for a lot less than the U.S. spends on health care. Like the U.S., the primary source of coverage in the Netherlands is private insurance, though it’s made available through a highly regulated marketplace. Surveys show the results are impressive: Dutch health care is affordable and generally convenient, timely, and of high quality. </p>
<p>"As Americans move from debating health care reform to implementing it, they would be wise to keep studying the Dutch system," Cohn says. To learn how health insurance works in the Netherlands, read the <a href="/blog/2011/lessons-abroad-dutch-health-care-system-part-1">complete post</a>. <br /></p>