PUBPOL 5370 - Economics of Health Care Markets

Fall. 3 credits. Letter grades only (no audit).

Permission of department required. Enrollment limited to: Sloan MHA students. Recommended prerequisite: PUBPOL 5570. Co-meets with PUBPOL 4370.

M. Richards.

Health care systems and health policy are undergoing rapid change as medical technology advances and costs rise. Debates concerning the delivery, regulation and financing of health care have intensified. This course uses basic economic tools to analyze central questions in health care today, as well as fundamental issues in health policy: For example, what is the current role of the government in the health sector, and what should it be? What is the social insurance role of the government, and how is it played out in policies that impact the health of the population? How is health insurance structured, and what are the implications of having employers be the providers of private health insurance? This course is about applying economic tools of policy analysis to gain insight into the workings of the health care system and to analyze current issues in health policy. It is mainly a U.S. institutions-based course, with some international comparisons. It should be of interest to students preparing for all kinds of careers in health care, and to others with an interest in important public policy issues.

Outcome 1: Understand the objectives and behavior of the key stakeholders in the US healthcare system: payers, insurers, providers, and suppliers.

Outcome 2: Apply basic economic reasoning to examine health policy issues and proposals.

Outcome 3: Policy Analysis.

Outcome 4: Expertise in a Substantive Policy Area.