NPR Series Examines Health Care Systems In Five European Nations

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 04 Aug 2008 - 10:00 PDT

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NPR, in a month-long series titled "Health Care for All" examined the health care systems in five European nations, which have lower health care costs than the U.S. and provide a higher quality of care on several measures. Summaries of the recent stories in the series appear below. Previous Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report coverage of the series is available online.

Britain

• "Denied Treatment, U.K. Vet Stands Up for Liberty": The story profiles a British man who was denied coverage for age-related wet macular degeneration by the National Health Service and how he protested the denial and eventually received coverage for the treatment (Silberner, "Day to Day," NPR, 7/25).

France

• "Health Care Lessons From France": The story examines France's public-private universal health care system and how the system is designed to preserve residents' choices in selecting physicians and specialists, while providing the most coverage for the sickest residents. The story notes that France's health care system is one of the most costly in the world, but the U.S. spends about twice as much on health care (Shapiro, "Day to Day," NPR, 7/11).

Netherlands

• "After-Hours Care Keeps Costs Down in the Netherlands": The story examines after-hour clinics in the Netherlands and how the country provides round-the-clock access to health care for residents. According to NPR, about 90% of the Dutch population has access to such clinics (Neighmond, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/17).
  
  
• "Netherlands' Health Care Reflects National Values": The story examines how culture influences the Dutch health care system, which "reflects national values such as pragmatism and stoicism." NPR reports that Dutch culture emphasizes dealing with problems and avoiding unnecessary prescription drugs, but "some things are changing," which may underscore "that a health care system built around culture may not be a good fit for all" (Neighmond, "All Things Considered," 7/17).

Switzerland

• "In Switzerland, an Easier Path for the Disabled": The story compares access to health care for children with disabilities in the U.S. and Switzerland, where they can continue to receive quality health care even after their parents die (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 7/31).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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