title: Health insurance values and implementation in The Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany. An alternative path to universal coverage.
abstract: The health care systems in the Netherlands and the Federal Republic of Germany are based on a set of values that involve mutual obligations between private parties. These obligations are realized through systems incorporating private practice physicians, community and church- and municipality-affiliated hospitals, and nonprofit and for-profit insurers. The underlying values and implementation approaches in these systems provide an alternative to the adoption of a Canadian-style health insurance system. A discussion that focuses on "obligations" rather than "rights" may be a more useful approach for the design of reforms of the American health system in the 1990s. Such a discussion would focus on the mutual responsibility of all parties to create and maintain a universal private health care system.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Administration and Policy, College of Business, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287-4506.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Kirkman-Liff
mesh_terms: D005860:Germany, West; D006291:Health Policy / Q000592:standards*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000458:organization & administration*; D038622:Internationality; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D009310:National Health Insurance, United States; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009426:Netherlands; D012935:Social Justice; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States