Going Dutch.

• Author: Siegal, Nina
• Position: FIRST PERSON SINGULAR - Comparison of the health care act of Holland and US

I LIVE IN AMSTERDAM. WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE IN 2006, I NOTICED immediately how much more civilized it felt to be living in a country where I knew that everyone had health care. I used to joke that I'd move back to the States only when a similar system was finally in place there.

So I was naturally thrilled when it seemed like the United States was moving towards a more progressive system with President Obama's health care overhaul. When it passed, I even started looking at apartment prices in New York.

As the plan moved through the Supreme Court, however, I listened with special interest (via podcast and downloads) to the debates about the controversy over the "individual mandate" because Holland's health care system is built on something very akin to the "individual mandate" approach.

Every person who lives in the Netherlands is required to buy medical insurance from one of many private insurance companies. Employees can receive medical coverage via their job, individuals can buy it for themselves, and those who can't afford it receive a subsidy from the government to purchase it privately. As a condition of my visa, I had to prove that I had purchased medical insurance.

I pay out of pocket, but because of the economies of scale built into the universal health care system, I found that the premiums are very reasonable. Basic insurance (known as basisverzekering) can be secured for little as 90 euros a month (about $110), and I used a free website to compare and contrast plans offered by various insurers. All of them covered primary care with a general practitioner, specialist care on referral, hospital inpatient and outpatient and emergency services, as well as prescription medication--all without a co-pay. And under Dutch law, no one can be denied basisverzekering because of any preexisting conditions.

There are options for plans that are more expensive and offer more bells and whistles, so you can buy Honda insurance or Cadillac insurance, depending on your style and your cash at hand.

Because it was relatively inexpensive, I went for a slightly higher-end plan that also covers all dental expenses (procedures up to about $2,000 a year), eyeglasses, physical and psychiatric therapy, and longer hospital stays. I didn't splurge on the "premium" plan that would also have covered all elective and plastic surgeries.

My current plan costs me 153 euros a month (about $200) and covers pretty much everything I've ever needed. Well, not...