2016-2017 Catalog

ECON 401 Economic Analysis of the Health Care Industry

This course applies microeconomic theory to analyze the health care market from the perspectives of those who supply health care. We will start with a description of what a health care system is and discuss the recent health care reform in the U.S. We will then turn our focus to the production of health and then the production of health care. Our attention will then turn to those who supply care including the market for physicians and hospital services, and the pharmaceutical industry. Finally, the structure and performance of the U.S. health care system will be compared to that of other countries. Discussion of empirical studies, current policy debates, and the relevance and limits of the economic approach will be emphasized. Focus of the course is on the economics and not politics or personal opinions. Regardless of your own personal views on health care reform, the goal is for you to be able to analyze the market for health care using the tools and perspectives of an economist. [W]

Prerequisite

ECON 251, ECON 252 and ECON 253

Instructor

Averett