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Abstract
The Dutch have a long history of operating within a free market economy. For some time, the Dutch have had a two-tiered health care model comprised of a government-funded socialized medicine model and an individual-funded insurance model. While the model had effectively provided universal health care coverage, there were a number of challenges that were confronting long-term sustainability. So in 2004, the Dutch began an evolutionary health care reform process that consisted of moving from the highly socialized, two-tiered system to that of a regulated, free market health care model. The Netherlands health care delivery model system is structured quite differently than that of the US. The first and major difference is the primary care provider's (PCP) role in the overall management of care and as a gatekeeper. Unlike the US, the Netherlands is a small, densely populated country of 16.5 million people. Finally, of significance, is the general population support for this revolutionary change in the health care finance model.