University of Alberta Department of Economics
Econ 357-A1 Health Economics
Winter 2020
Instructor: Pinar Mine Gunes
Time and Location: Tuesday & Thursday 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM, T BW 1
General Office Number: 780-492-6717 (only for messages), email: [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM or by appointment, Tory 9-10
Overview and Objectives
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the field of health economics. Topics include demand for and production of health, social determinants of health, health care insurance, physician behavior, health care systems, role of government in the provision of health care, and the economics of tobacco and obesity. The course aims to understand the economic behavior of individuals, health care providers, insurers, and government actors in health care.
Suggested Textbooks
• Jeremiah E. Hurley, Health Economics, first edition, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2010 (ISBN: 0-07-091648-9)
• Rexford Santerre and Stephen Neun, Health Economics, Theory, Insights and Industry Studies, sixth edition, South-Western Cengage Learning, 2013
(ISBN: 978-1133584360)
• Required Reading: Tomas J. Philipson and Richard A. Posner (2008). Is the Obesity Epidemic a Public Health Problem? A Review of Zoltan J. Acs and Alan Lyles’s Obesity, Business and Public Policy. Journal of Economic Literature, 46:4, 974-982.
Additional material, including sample exam questions and handouts, will be posted on the Moodle eClass site throughout the semester (https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/). Students are recommended to check the class web site once a week to ensure that they are aware of an- nouncements and supplementary material.
The textbooks should be viewed as complements to the lectures, not substitutes. You are responsible for the material covered in the in-class lectures. Therefore, class attendance is indispensible for success in this course. If you have difficulty in understanding the material, please see me in my office hours or schedule an appointment through email.
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Prerequisites
ECON 281 or the equivalent, or consent of Department. The Department does enforce the course prerequisites. Students are expected to know basic calculus and be familiar with graphical analysis and basic statistical concepts.
Evaluation and Important Dates
Students are expected to attend all classes and must complete one problem set, one midterm exam, and one final exam. The problem set will be distributed in the class and will be avail- able on the course website. The problem set is due one week from the date it was handed out, at the beginning of the class. Late problem sets will not be accepted for any reason.
All students enrolled in the class are expected to take the exams on the scheduled dates.
The weights assigned to each are given by the following (tentative schedule):
Exams Share in Final Grade Due Dates
Midterm Exam 35% Tuesday, February 25 (In-Class)
Problem Set 20% due Thursday, March 24
Final exam 45% Thursday, April 16 9:00 AM
100%
The exams will be closely related to the material covered in class. There will be NO MUL- TIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS on the exams. The final exam will be cumulative, but more weight will be given to materials not covered in the midterm exam.
Final grades will reflect both absolute and relative performance. I will use a combination of absolute measures and grade distribution to determine the final grade. I will inspect the final grade distribution for natural breaks between pools of students to ensure that “small”
differences in raw scores do not unduly influence final letter grades.
Policies
• Missed Exams: University policy on missed exams and term work can be found in Section 23.3 of the Calendar. There will be no make-up midterm exam. Students who offer a medical justification must submit the Request for Deferral of Examinations and/or Term Work form, available on the Faculty of Arts webpage. Students who miss the midterm for an approved reason will have the midterm weight allocated to the final exam.
Students who will miss the final exam must receive faculty (FGSR) permission to defer the exam. Please note, as stated in 23.3(2)c of the Calendar, “A deferred examination will not be approved if a student (a) has not been in regular attendance where at- tendance and/or participation are required, and/or, (b) excluding the final exam, has completed less than half of the assigned work.”
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• Course Outline: Policy about course outlines can be found in the Evaluation Proce- dures and Grading System section of the University Calendar.
• Academic Accommodation: If you require academic accommodation due to a dis- ability, please see me at the beginning of the semester to discuss your needs. For more information, please check the web site at http://www.ssds.ualberta.ca.
• Learning Environment: The Faculty of Arts is committed to ensuring that all stu- dents, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behaviour that under- mines that environment. The department urges anyone who feels that this policy is being violated to (1) discuss the matter with the person whose behaviour is causing concern; or (2) if that discussion is unsatisfactory, or there is concern that direct dis- cussion is inappropriate or threatening, discuss it with the Chair of the Department.
For additional advice or assistance regarding this policy you may contact the student ombudservice: http://www.ombudservice.ualberta.ca/. Information about the Uni- versity of Alberta Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures can be found in the GFC Policy Manual, section 44 available athttp://gfcpolicymanual.ualberta.ca.
• Academic Integrity: The University of Alberta is committed to the highest stan- dards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provi- sions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at (http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/
CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStandards/CodeofStudentBehaviour.aspx/) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagia- rism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishon- esty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
(GFC 29 SEP 2003). Policy about the course outlines can be found in 23.4(2) of the University Calendar. (GFC 29 SEP 2003).
• Recording of Lectures: Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor.
• Calculators: You may need a simple calculator for the exams. Programmable calcu- lators will not be allowed.
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Course Outline
Topics and readings may be added or deleted as the term progresses. The order of the topics may also be changed.
1. Introduction
2. Efficiency and Equity 3. Economic Evaluation
4. Individual-Level Demand for and Production of Health 5. Determinants of Population Health
6. The Nature of Health Care as an Economic Commodity 7. The Demand for Health Care
8. Health Insurance
9. Systems of Health Care Finance 10. Health Care Funding
11. Physician services
12. Health Care Institutions: Hospitals 13. Pharmaceuticals
14. Aging and Technology
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