Healthcare in the Netherlands

Back in December 2009, I was asked to submit a piece on the Dutch healthcare system to ACCESS Magazine for their Spring publication. About a month ago they posted the issue online (I already had several copies in my hot little hands by then!) and I'm finally getting around to share it with you.

Click here to read the article. (It has come to my attention that this link is really difficult to read. Here's a link to the pdf file for the entire spring issue. If you go to the top where it says "page" and type in 16, it will take you directly to the first page of my two-page article.)

The article is based on research done in 2009, so it may or may not still hold true. If you are interested in knowing more about the healthcare system in the Netherlands and would like a list of resources I used to write the piece, please let me know in an email to americancloggie@aol.com.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"In 2009, the Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) highlighted The Netherlands as having the best healthcare system in Europe. This marked the second year in a row that The Netherlands received this honour. Results from an International Health Policy Survey of seven different countries (The Netherlands, Germany, Canada, the United States, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia) by the Commonwealth Fund in 2007 show that those living in The Netherlands have the most positive views of their health system, are the most confident about the care they receive, and are least likely to avoid medical care due to cost issues. It seems as though The Netherlands is the place to be for outstanding healthcare. But what is it about this particular system that makes it worthy of such praise?"

ACCESS Magazine is a free publication that can be ordered via the ACCESS website (you will be charged shipping and handling fees for online orders) or picked up at various locations in Amsterdam and The Hague. ACCESS offers support, workshops, and information to expats in the Netherlands. Please stop by their website to see what they're all about and consider supporting this wonderful organization.

Stay tuned as I have a piece on the Museumkaart due to come out in the Summer issue!

The Next Step: May-June 2010

Yet another of my The Next Step: Dates in the Diary of Tiffany Jansen columns for the IWCU's bimonthly publication, The Contact. It's a continuation of my last edition, detailing my experiences with the inburgeringscurses for fellow IWCU members.

If you've been paying attention, you'll notice that I've changed my profile picture for the column. This also marks my first issue as editor of the magazine! Now that it's in my hands, I'm proud of the first effort and know exactly what to do to make the next one(s) better.

A funny little anecdote: As editor, I was bequeathed all the back issues of The Contact going all the way back to 2000. I've made it my goal to read through all of them for ideas for the IWCU as well as for the publication. Meanwhile, I had been following the blog Kats in Klompen now for a while and have enjoyed reading the blog. The other day, I was collecting posts from other blogs on Queen's Day and found several on Kats in Klompen. My eye happened to fall upon the name of the blogger, which only now was familiar to me. Kats in Klompen blogger Judy Nijholt-Strong was editor of IWCU's The Contact for two years and is responsible for the content of the newsletter, which has been improved upon even further by the layout designers who designed the new layout. Judy is also a fellow American who followed her heart to the Netherlands. Small world, isn't it?

As usual, click here to read The Next Step and here to see the May-June 2010 issue of The Contact in full. Enjoy!

Here is an excerpt taken from the column:

"Once your municipality, or gemeente, realizes that you exist (you may have to remind them), they will send you a letter much like the following:

Dear Foreign Person,


We just discovered that you walk among us and we would like to give you the chance to be converted into our Dutch cult. Because you are an immigrant, you obviously have no life. Therefore, you will have no problem making this meeting we have scheduled for you. At (insert the one time and day of the week that you actually do have something planned here) you will meet with (insert impossible-to-pronounce Dutch name here).


With friendly greetings,


Your Gemeente"