Better Value for Money in Healthcare: European Lessons for Canada

Modern health systems, like Canada’s, face similar pressures. Populations are aging, government revenues are dwindling, and the scope for new services is increasing as new technologies develop. However, each country is responding to these pressures in unique ways. Arguably, Canadians pay too much attention to the United States health model – which is expensive and has a large uninsured population – making it a distraction for provincial policymakers. This Commentary instead focuses on the United Kingdom’s and the Netherlands’ healthcare systems. Those systems have undergone a period of reform to attain greater value for money and they adhere to equity principles similar to those underlying the Canadian system. A serious look at how these European countries align incentives within their systems to encourage better performance would be beneficial to health policy development in Canada.