Growing up in Canada, I am familiar with the socialized health care model. Everyone has access to care, but the waits CAN be long and you won’t likely get to choose your specialist or service location. When I moved to the U.S., it was a process to learn about their private sector health care model. It seemed very foreign, and everything has a price tag attached to it. But, on the positive side, for those with decent insurance, which I have always been grateful to have, the wait times are short and the level of care is excellent.
So now we need to learn to navigate the Dutch health care system. Once you establish your residency and get your citizen service number (BSN) you are required to sign up for a standard health insurance plan. This plan covers your family doctor, hospital care and prescriptions. The items covered and the costs are set by the government. In addition, you can select supplemental insurance to cover things like dental care for adults, physiotherapy, glasses and contacts, and homeopathic and other alternative medical products.
Thankfully, like most things in The Netherlands, there are lots of online resources in both Dutch and English to help you sort it out. The government even has a website specific for people moving to The Netherlands.
Similar to Canada, or for those using an HMO in the U.S., you need to select and declare a primary care doctor (huisarts). Your huisarts will be your first point of contact for all health issues. They will be the person to request tests, refer you to specialists and provide routine prescriptions. You are even advised to reach out to your huisarts before going to the emergency room with anything other than life threatening issues. Outside of office hours, huisarts have an answering service that will direct patients on how to access care.
You are encouraged to select a huisarts that is close to your house because doctors here will make house calls if you are too ill to come to the office, but they typically only do this for a certain radius from the office. There are several websites that allow you to submit your postal code and get a list of doctors close to you.
The Dutch are efficient, so appointments with your huisarts are 10 minutes long. If you have more than one issue or something more complicated, you need to let them know in advance so they can book you a double appointment.
Red, White and Tulips 