Financing long term care in the future in the Netherlands

Springer Science and Business Media LLC - Tập 87 - Trang 10-10 - 2009

Tóm tắt

The Social Economic Council (SER) in the Netherlands recommends to restrict the Dutch financing system of long term care to its original target group: those who are severely and long term physically or mentally handicapped. Otherwise the costs will rise to prohibitive heights because of the increasing number of elderly in the future. In 2007, 600.000 people in the Netherlands got care financed by the Exceptional Medical Expenses Act (Awbz). Costs amounted to 20 billion b. Two economists and three social scientists reflect. Public health principles demand a higher part of the national budget to be spend on long term care, while economic principles demand a lower budget. This asks for a painful compromise. At the same time, the financing system should be designed in such a way as to promote the quality and continuity of care for those who depend on it, as well as their independence and capacities to take part as much as possible in society.