Health Economics Primer, A

A Health Economics Primer covers the key areas of health care economics—the supply and demand for health care and health insurance, the impact of technological innovation, and the role of institutions and public policy—in a brief, flexible format that enables instructors to adapt the course as quickly as this dynamic field is evolving. Instructors will find suggestions for ways to use this text along with essential readings covering recent research and policy debates and companion sections of The Handbook of Health Economics.

PART I. INTRODUCTION

1. Introduction

 

PART II. THE DEMAND FOR HEALTH, HEALTH CARE, AND THE INSURANCE MARKET

2. The Demand for Health and the Demand for Health Care

3. The Nature of Health Insurance Markets

4. The Evolution to Managed Care

5. Social Insurance in the United States : Medicare and Medicaid

 

PART III. THE PROVIDERS OF HEALTH CARE: PHYSICIANS, NURSES, AND HOSPITALS

6. Physicians and Nurses as Inputs into the Production of Health Care

7. Physicians as Providers of Health Care

8. Hospitals

 

PART IV: EVALUATION OF TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE, AND THE BIO-PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

9. Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

10. The Role of Technology in Health Care

11. The Economics of Prescription Drugs

 

PART V. COMPARATIVE SYSTEMS AND PUBLIC POLICY

12. Comparative Health-Care Systems

13. Health Care: A Global Perspective

14. The Health-Care System of the United States : Where Do We Go Next?

 

Appendix 1. Brief Review of Economic Concepts and Tools of Analysis

Appendix 2. Introduction to Statistical Techniques

 

Index

 

• Primer approach allows for immense flexibility for the course. By using the primer with outside readings, courses can evolve over time and/or emphasize a specific theme (e.g., economic policy, international health).
• The text assumes an understanding of introductory microeconomics and is written for students of diverse backgrounds including economics, health administration, public policy, and business.
• Major topic areas include an analysis of the effects of technological innovation, global health care, and health care issues in developing countries.
• Major public policy issues are integrated with the economic analysis, to provide immediate application to theory.
• Two Appendixes offer a quick review of economics and statistics, to help students revisit the prerequisite concepts they learned in introductory microeconomics.
• International health care systems are discussed in depth in Part V, "Comparative Systems and Public Policy." This includes an extended case study of India to illustrate health care in developing nations.
• Institutional material spread throughout the text explores the role of government and private institutions in the evolution of health care delivery in the U.S.