Course Description

In Health Economics, you will explore the application of economic principles to the health care sector. By recognizing the importance of scarcity and incentives, course content focuses on the critical economic issues in producing, delivering, and financing health care. And through both the lectures and your discussions with your peers, you will learn to analyze determinants of demand for medical care, the unique role of physicians in resource allocation, the role of health insurance, and competition in medical care markets.

Specific Course Topics
  • Principles of health economics
  • Insurance
  • Physicians
  • Hospitals and related care
  • Regulation and integration

A segment on the roles of sellers, buyers, and product in the context of a health care system, from Health Economics

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  • Describe the role of economics as it applies to health care markets, organizations, and individuals.
  • Identify key challenges, both financially and organizationally, that health care delivery is currently facing.
  • Analyze interactions between the players in a health care market, using economic frameworks and models.