Unit 239: Health Economics

1. Introduction to Health Economics

• Definition and scope of health economics
• Key concepts: scarcity, opportunity cost, efficiency, equity
• Economic approaches in health care analysis
• Role of health economics in policy and decision-making

2. Demand and Supply in Health Care

• Principles of demand for health care services
  • Determinants of demand: income, price, preferences, insurance
  • Elasticity of demand in health care
• Supply side in health care
  • Provider incentives and constraints
  • Production and cost functions in health care
• Market equilibrium and disequilibrium in health care
• Effects of government interventions on demand and supply

3. Health Insurance and Financing

• Overview of health insurance models
  • Private insurance, social insurance, and public insurance schemes
• Mechanisms of health care financing
  • Out-of-pocket payments, tax-based financing, insurance pooling
• Moral hazard and adverse selection in health insurance
• Impact of insurance on access to care and health outcomes
• Challenges in health care financing and sustainability

4. Economic Evaluation in Health Care

• Purpose and importance of economic evaluation
• Types of economic evaluation
  • Cost-Minimization Analysis (CMA)
  • Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA)
  • Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA)
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)
• Steps in conducting economic evaluations
• Interpretation of results and decision-making
• Limitations and ethical considerations

5. Health Care Market Structures

• Overview of market structures
  • Perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition
• Characteristics of health care markets
• Effects of market structure on pricing, quality, and access
• Role of providers, insurers, and regulators
• Case studies of market structures in health care

6. Health Policy Analysis

• Role of economic analysis in health policy formulation
• Tools for policy evaluation
  • Cost-effectiveness and budget impact analysis
• Regulation and government interventions
• Evaluation of policy interventions and reforms
• Stakeholder analysis and health economics

7. Global Health Economics

• Economic disparities in global health outcomes
• Globalization and its impact on health systems
• Financing global health initiatives
• Strategies for improving health equity worldwide
• Role of international organizations and partnerships

8. Behavioral Economics in Health

• Introduction to behavioral economics principles
• Application to health-related behaviors
  • Nudging, incentives, and decision-making biases
• Behavioral interventions to improve public health
• Policy design informed by behavioral insights
• Case examples and evidence of effectiveness