Municipal governments' role in averting access problems associated with market reform.

Background: The 2006 health insurance legislation obligates each resident to purchase a basic health policy. If a person fails to purchase a basic health plan, (s)he is by implication uninsured. An assumption underpinning the new legislation is that consumers must take responsibility for themselves and can make informed choices.

Empowering the chronically ill? Patient collectives in the new Dutch health insurance system.

On January 1, 2006, the Dutch government instituted major reforms to the country's health insurance scheme. One of the features of the new system is the opportunity for groups to form collectives that may negotiate and enter into group contracts with health insurers. This article discusses one particular type of collective, namely patient collectives.