zorgbeleid

Zorgbeleid, literally care policy, refers to the set of laws, regulations, budgets, and programs that govern how care—both health care and social care—is funded, organized, and delivered. It encompasses policies aimed at ensuring access to necessary services, controlling costs, maintaining quality and safety, and supporting people in need of care throughout life. While the concrete arrangement varies by country, in Dutch governance the notion covers health insurance, long-term care, and social support.

The scope includes financing mechanisms, service delivery systems, and regulatory frameworks. Financing typically involves mandatory insurer-based health coverage with subsidies for low-income groups, as well as public funding for long-term and social care. Service delivery covers hospitals, primary care, home-based care, nursing facilities, and community supports. Regulation addresses licensing, professional standards, quality measurement, patient rights, and price rules. Governance often distributes responsibilities among national authorities, regional or municipal bodies, insurers, and care providers, coordinating across sectors to ensure continuity of care.

Key policy goals are to ensure universal access to essential services, safeguard affordability, promote high-quality care, protect vulnerable groups, and ensure the sustainability of financing. Recent policy directions emphasize integration across health and social care, emphasis on prevention and early intervention, digital health tools, and transparent performance reporting. Ongoing challenges include aging populations, rising costs, regional disparities, workforce shortages, and balancing competition with solidarity in funding.