SA4G2      Half Unit
Health Economics

This information is for the 2013/14 session.

Teacher responsible

Prof Alistair Mcguire COW4.05

Availability

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Health Economics, Policy and Management. This course is not available as an outside option.

Course content

Distinction between health and health care. Nature of health care as an economic commodity. How markets and insurance markets work, and how they can fail for health care and health insurance.. Incentive mechanisms and principal-agent relationships in health care. Yardstick competition and Diagnostic Related Group payment schemes. Labour markets in health care. Economic evaluation as a regulatory tool.

Teaching

12 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the MT.

Indicative reading

The following is a basic reading list for the course: S Folland, A C Goodman & M Stano, The Economics of Health and Health Care (3rd edn), Prentice Hall, 2001; B McPake, L Kumaranayake & C Normand, Health Economics - An International Perspective, Routledge, 2002.

Students will be given access to essential readings before the course begins through the pre-sessional reading programme on Moodle, which they will be expected to read prior to the first day of class.

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
This is the same course as SA408 Health Economics (H) but it has different teaching and assessment arrangements.

Student performance results

(2009/10 - 2011/12 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 12.7
Merit 81
Pass 5.6
Fail 0.8

Key facts

Department: Social Policy

Total students 2012/13: Unavailable

Average class size 2012/13: Unavailable

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information