ECON 233 - Health Economics

This course provides an overview of health economics and is designed to introduce you to the issues, theory, and practice of health economics. We will discuss the various market participants, including patients, provider firms, the healthcare labor force, hospitals, and insurance providers in the United States. We will explore recent research in peer-reviewed health economics journals to learn about the causal effect of various policies, incentives, and interventions. The topics include the demand/production of health (and the importance of health endowments, pollution, education, etc.), the market for health insurance (with a focus on asymmetric information, adverse selection, moral hazard etc.), supply side incentives (including physician incentives, induced demand, and medical malpractice). Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 or ECON 129. C- or higher required for all prerequisites. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)