[Plans of the Rutte IV administration: more control by the government, less personnel, lower budget]

Abstract

The Rutte IV administration can and will spend much less on healthcare than its predecessor. A difficult task. Providing less low-value care, that is healthcare with no or little benefit for the patient given the alternatives, by physicians is one way to improve quality and reduce costs. Less low-value care will therefore play a crucial role in the plans of the Rutte IV administration. Low-value care is attractive on paper, but radical implementation will lead to new dilemmas. The government must therefore be prepared to make and manage more choices itself. Besides tension on professional autonomy, there is also the risk of (even) more administrative burdens for healthcare professionals, which has a bad effect on captivating and retaining healthcare professionals. How to keep the intrinsic motivation of professionals intact within the paradigm of appropriate care could well become the real dilemma for the new administration of Mark Rutte.