title: The policy and politics of the 2015 long-term care reform in the Netherlands.
abstract: As of 2015 a major reform in LTC is taking place in the Netherlands. An important objective of the reform is to reign in expenditure growth to safeguard the fiscal sustainability of LTC. Other objectives are to improve the quality of LTC by making it more client-tailored. The reform consists of four interrelated pillars: a normative reorientation, a shift from residential to non-residential care, decentralization of non-residential care and expenditure cuts. The article gives a brief overview of these pillars and their underlying assumptions. Furthermore, attention is paid to the political decision-making process and the politics of implementation and evaluation. Perceptions of the effects of the reform so far widely differ: positive views alternate with critical views. Though the reform is radical in various aspects, LTC care will remain a largely publicly funded provision. A statutory health insurance scheme will remain in place to cover residential care. The role of municipalities in publicly funded non-residential care is significantly upgraded. The final section contains a few policy lessons.
authors.affiliation: University of Maastricht, Maastricht, Department of Health Services Research, Netherlands. Electronic address: h.maarse@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: J A M Hans
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Maarse
authors.affiliation: Radboud University, Nijmegen, Celsus Academy and Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, The Hague, Netherlands.
authors.forename: P P Patrick
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Jeurissen
mesh_terms: D003363:Cost Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009426:Netherlands; D011057:Politics; D012112:Residential Facilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: DUTCH health care; Long-term care; Reforms