Course Information

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Course 9
Health Economics

This is a required course for the GBA designation. It is also may be used as an elective for the CEBS designation.

NOT OFFERED THIS SEMESTER

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The course examines health economic issues using various microeconomics tools. The purpose of the course is to provide a theoretical basis for understanding the practical issues in health plan design, management, and administration.

The course begins with an introduction on how economic decisions are made. It presents an overview of the health care systems in the United States and other countries and discusses the role of third-party payers and their reimbursement methods. The course examines the determinants of good health in the U. S. and considers the variables including insurance that affect the demand curve for medical services. Microeconomic principles and concepts show the relationship between medical care cost and firm size and are used to develop a short-run and long-run production theory for medical services. The profit objective of non-health care competitive markets in contrasted with the objectives of some not-for-profit health care markets. The government's role in medical markets and its effect of the allocation of medical resources and output are covered in this course. Finally, the underlying structure and resulting performance of various health care industries are analyzed.

Key Topics Covered:

• Health Care Systems and Institutions
• Health Economics
• The Demand for Medical Services
• The Demand for Medical Insurance:  Traditional and Managed Care Coverage
• Medical Care Production and Costs
• Profit Maximization in the Perfectly Competitive Markets
• Profit Maximization in Imperfect Markets
• Not-For-Profit Objectives
• Government, Health and Medical Care
• Government as Health Insurer
• The Private Health Insurance Industry
• The Physician Services Industry
• The Hospital Services Industry
• The Pharmaceutical Industry
• An Overview of Health Care Reform

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Last Updated:  Wednesday, June 19, 2002