Health reforms in the Netherlands have increased access to health care, but have also led to an unexpected growth in health spending.

The Netherlands implemented major reforms to its health care system in 2006. Ilaria Mosca assesses the consequences of the reform programme, noting that while there have been improvements to service delivery, there have also been negative consequences such as an increase in overall health spending. There are still some key problems which need to be resolved if the system is to provide the benefits which were originally envisaged