Course ID: | PADP 8610. 3 hours. |
Course Title: | Economics of Health Policy |
Course Description: | This course uses an economic framework and draws upon real-
world examples to understand the health care system and
evaluate current policy debates. Although the vast majority of
this course covers health policy in the United States context,
some topics of international concern are also examined. |
Oasis Title: | ECON HEALTH POLICY |
Semester Course Offered: | Offered every year. |
Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
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Course Objectives: | At the end of the class students should be able to
(i) understand and evaluate health care and health policy;
(ii) recognize market failures associated with health and
health care;
(iii) explain the role of equity and efficiency in policy
design. |
Topical Outline: | The topics covered in this course include:
• The production of health, or what leads to improvements in
health?
• Demand for health behaviors and government policy towards
health behaviors, ex. obesity, alcohol, and tobacco.
• Theory of health insurance, problems in the market for health
insurance, and employer provided health insurance.
• Social insurance and government intervention in health care
markets (Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP).
• Information and health, ex. direct-to-consumer advertising in
the prescription drug market, USDA nutrition labels,
physician-induced demand for health care, and tort reform.
• Pharmaceutical market: market failure in new vaccine creation,
and patent protection and access to drugs, ex. AIDS vaccine.
• Role of nonprofit firms in health care.
• Health policies for developing vs. developed countries. |