Affordability and efficiency

Our healthcare system has itself become a patient, with accessibility being (too) good, quality generally adequate, although there are considerable differences between healthcare providers. Neighbouring countries score higher on several counts. Moreover, healthcare costs are increasing at too fast a rate: the level of costs undermines sustainability in the short run as well as in the long run. When the policy remains unaltered healthcare's part in the gross national product will increase from 14% at present to18% in 2040, depending on the scenario opted for. 'Better care', the scenario presented by the 'Centraal Plan Bureau' (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis), even came up with a calculation of 25%.    

On account of this the frontier of solidarity between the healthy and the sick has been crossed, making the necessity of a more efficiently functioning care system and alternative funding extremely urgent. In 2012 the issue of affordability led the government (in this case the Ministry of Finance) to decide to initiate an Expertise programme. Based on an integrated theory of policy this programme formulates verifiable research questions and offers empirical tools for institutional measures and policy solutions to be deployed.     

The theme of affordability and efficiency is pre-eminently focused on intervention measures.

Prof.dr. Patrick Jeurissen (Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports, IQ healthcare) is head of research on this theme.