Introduction to Health Economics

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to demonstrate how economists think about healthcare issues. The emphasis will be on looking at a wide variety of health policy and management topics from an economist's perspective. Students will develop their understanding of economic theory and empirical research in key areas of health economics and will learn to apply economic frameworks to timely issues in health management. Topics to be covered include the demand for health insurance and related problems of moral hazard and adverse selection; methods for paying health care providers and related problems of agency; economics of public health and issues of externalities and public goods; organization of firms in the health care sector and related issues of firm behavior and industrial organization, including issues of patent monopoly and technological development; and the economics of health policy, including taxation. The course will also address key policy issues considered in earlier courses—including the problems of healthcare costs and uninsurance—from an economic perspective. By the end of the course, students should have a sense of how to use economic theory and empirical analysis to evaluate healthcare policy and management issues. The course will build on data and communication skills developed in prior courses.