ECON 3400 - Health Economics

Goals: To introduce students to the field of health economics, and the ways that traditional economic models can be applied and/or modified to understand and predict outcomes in the markets for healthcare, insurance, and other health-related goods and services.

Content: The healthcare industry is one of the largest in the U.S., representing nearly 18% of the GDP and comprising a large share of the typical household budget. The role of government regulation in healthcare is significant and unique to the industry. This class will review topics relevant to the healthcare and health insurance industries including determinants of demand, pricing of healthcare services, the role of insurance and its reforms, incentives and hurdles for health technology innovations, and the role of health in economic development. We will also examine the traditional methods for evaluating healthcare services including cost benefit and cost effectiveness analysis.

Prerequisite: ECON 1100, grade of C- or higher

Credits: 4