Health Care Law and Policy

Catalog description

This is a survey course focused primarily on how the law influences the delivery and financing of health care in the United States. The course will examine an array of legal and policy issues related to our health care system, including: the legal structure of the patient-physician relationship; professional licensure and competence; health care privacy, decision-making, and autonomy; the legal and corporate structure of health care enterprises; regulatory and market-based approaches to improving the quality of health care delivery; payment and financing systems including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, insurance, charitable care, managed care, ERISA, and private payment; and enforcement mechanisms, including federal and state civil and criminal statutes and regulations aimed to combat health care fraud and abuse. The course also will focus on the challenges facing the U.S. health care delivery system and proposals for systemic reform, including an in-depth examination of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and its potential impacts on health care access, delivery, cost, and quality.