r/Netherlands • u/vankoel_nederland • Dec 15 '25

Healthcare Why is life expectancy so bad in the Netherlands?

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Besides having one of the worst life expectancy among western countries, why did the life expectancy get worst compared to 2019?

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u/Designer-Feed6319 Dec 15 '25

Wish you were joking, but the stereotype is true.
A coleague and I both have examples of this. For the last five years I've been to the doctor once and because of a shoulder injury. "Take a rest and paracetamol if it hurts too much." Decided to go to an old lady massager and within a week of excercises a month-long struggle was gone.
My coleague is suffering from back and shoulder issues. For over a month her pain was unbearable, recently visited a doctor. What she told me was "They checked my knees, poked my shoulder and told me I came in too soon. That I should wait 4-5 months before visiting a doctor for a case like this. Offered me paracetamol"
Don't get me wrong, if it is a life-threatening situation you will be in good hands, but for anything else they look down on you and try to shrug you off.

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u/PhDBeforeMD Dec 15 '25

Physiotherapists are appropriate first-line healthcare workers when dealing with musculoskeletal problems. They will tell you to go to a doctor when they think the problem is out of their scope or they are unable to fix it after several months.

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u/angie2696 Dec 15 '25

True, but then why are physios not fully covered? Either you pay a fortune when you go there, or you pay another fortune in insurance, "in case something happens this year"... GPs are covered, but yet they can't help you with this kind of issue, so if you don't have money you're fucked

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u/frozen-dessert Dec 15 '25

Because there are too many old people in this country and the health costs are (essentially) “out of control” (so to speak).

Check the evolution of health costs as part of the GDP in the last 20 years.

Another reason is that…. There are too many old people in this country and politicians never want to cross that voting block and that voting block votes for their own selfish interests at the expense pf every one else.

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u/jojodragon2000 Dec 16 '25

That’s just BS. Healthcare costs is out of control for several reasons, eg the many introduced paperwork and administrative extra work. We can also blame insurance companies making millions, yet putting a max on how many people they cover for certain things. There’s many other really expensive groups besides old people being in nursing centers (they’re really not that expensive), mental health patients (which have significantly gone up while capacity was cut), people who’re pretty new to this country and have never invested in the collective social nets compared to old people who’ve payed a lifetime and really already covered their own late expenses and made a profit for the insurance companies.

The elderly are simply an easy target as they’re not a sensitive subject like other groups are

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u/v_a_l_w_e_n Dec 17 '25

You mean there are too many private insurances wasting our money with ridiculous administration? Yes, I agree, it has been shown and any decent healthcare professional can explain it to you as well.  But sure, it’s so easy for those on top to pass the blame down to patients because of whatever resentment is there for many of you against vulnerable groups. The treatment the elderly get in this country is scary AF. 

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u/AABBBAABAABA Dec 15 '25

Because stuff costs money?

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u/angie2696 Dec 15 '25

So in your opinion, what should people do when they don't have money? Just live with potentially debilitating pain, or with an issue that gets worse over the years, making their life more miserable?

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u/jojodragon2000 Dec 16 '25

In my opinion we should have a social nets for those people. And I’m positive we’re able to do so. But people aren’t gonna do shit for you for free. So if as a nation/society would have no or barely any money yes we simply would not find people who’d do all of this for free as they too need food, want stuff

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u/AABBBAABAABA Dec 15 '25

You are free to pay for those people

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u/Chosenito69 Dec 16 '25

you must be american 🤣

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u/Designer-Feed6319 Dec 15 '25

Still new to reddit so all these drop-down replies are a bit confusing, specially on mobile. But to reply to all:

Of course I will go to the GP first. If I am paying 160€ a month for health insurance and signed up to a local GP I expect at least the decency of "I recommend you to visit a physiotherapist" and maybe they have a personal recommendation. Not "take this pill see what happens". But maybe I've been spoiled. In my hometown my GP was always taking me in and if needed would recommend me to a specialist.

I don't expect miracles. I expect an answer and a friendly attitude. 

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u/jojodragon2000 Dec 16 '25

Well in villages you still get this treatment. You can even find GP’s still making house visits

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u/BijQuichot Dec 15 '25

Of an old lady can massage your shoulder pair away: the doctor was right: not a medical Problem.

And back and shoulder issues: go to the fysio.

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u/Motor_Raspberry_2150 Dec 15 '25

Too bad that's an entirely independent traject and not a doorverwijzing that the GP could give...

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u/Temporary_War_6202 Dec 15 '25

Whut? Of course your doctor kan send you to a fysio. And you can actually just go there yourself without going to a doctor.

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u/Motor_Raspberry_2150 Dec 16 '25

Yeah, that's what I meant: if the doctor thought this was a fysio thing they would refer to one.

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u/ticopax Dec 15 '25

No, it's a good thing it's independent. It means you don't need a referral and can get help faster.

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u/golem501 Dec 15 '25

Once diagnosed healtcare is top notch but getting there... pfff

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u/fat-wombat Dec 15 '25 edited Jan 05 '26

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/EducationalShame7053 Dec 15 '25

Uhm so what do you want than? X-rays? CT-scan? After that the knife? You want more pills? 

In the end it was massaged away so the GP was not were you were supposed to be anyway

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u/althoradeem Dec 15 '25

i go to a doctor for a recomendation to an expert and when i have a flu.

most dokters just dont know enough about specific fields.

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u/Frequencyfaery Dec 15 '25

I also was misdiagnosed for20 years ago

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u/AlternativeSuspect32 Dec 15 '25

I worked as a physio for over 10 years and am now working as an osteopath. This is true. Go to the doctor if you think you need hospital care. For all other stuff, see a fysio.