The Business of Healthcare

Catalog description

In the United States, healthcare is the fastest-growing industry and spending on health accounts for nearly a fifth of total economic output. Yet the way we finance and provide people with care, all while balancing the need to research new medical treatments and improve outcomes, is hopelessly complex. In this course, we will go behind the scenes and peer into the business of health. Why is there no national health insurance in the United States and how does our system compare to other countries? Who controls our healthcare institutions and who makes decisions about policy? If there is such a high demand for medical research and professionals, why is government funding of healthcare such a contested political topic? And finally, how do people resist viewing health as a business, either by adopting alternative practices such as vaccine refusal or by organizing to demand better outcomes from our existing system? This course will tackle these questions through analysis of the history and sociology of healthcare, with special attention paid to organizational approaches and potential policy reforms. Students will also learn about how AI and machine learning are rapidly altering the landscape of contemporary medicine.