Economics: charon of medicine?

Present welfare state arrangements in the Netherlands gradually came into being during the last two centuries. Around the middle of the nineteenth century the distress among the Dutch population was such that the pressure on the government to take measures for its relief increased nurkedly. The Dutch Medical Society, founded in 1849, played an important role here. The govemnent played many different roles since then, leading to a large degree of legislation. The main characteristic of the developments following this legislation was that a system that was mainly based on charity (1880-1920) changed to one where access to a wide range of health care provisions is a legally right for every citizen. ... Zie: Chapter 1