Price negotiations for medicines

The Netherlands Court of Audit has audited price negotiations on costly pharmaceuticals because the Netherlands are spending more and more on pharmaceuticals and especially on new, costly pharmaceuticals. We have analysed whether or not the negotiations, commissioned by the Minister for Medical Care, lead to cost effective healthcare. The Netherlands Court of Audit noted that these negotiations contribute positively, but at the same time it is limited. This presents a problem, because more and more costly pharmaceuticals will be introduced while hospital budgets will not increase. This could pose a problem for other types of care in hospitals. That's why we recommend the Minister for Medical Care to have cost effective healthcare as his primary goal in all negotiations. If that is not possible, it is also possible to say no, because not all prices are acceptable. Even if that means health insurers will not cover the costs for a certain medicine.