SA408      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 International Health Policy (Health Economics). This course is available on the MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing, MSc in Health, Population and Society, MSc in International Health Policy and MSc in Social Policy (Research). This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Course content

This course develops basic economic concepts as they are applied to the health sector, and provides for specialisation in health economics. Nature of health care as an economic commodity. How markets and insurance markets work, and how they can fail for health care and health care insurance. The economics of paying providers and different approaches taken by governments in different countries. Incentive mechanisms and Diagnostic Related Group payment schemes and yardstick competition. Labour markets in health care. Economic evaluation as a regulatory tool.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures and 18 hours of seminars in the MT. 4 hours of lectures in the ST.

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.

Supplementary reading list- this is given at the beginning of the course and includes references to specialised texts and articles on each subject covered within the course.

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.

Student performance results

(2009/10 - 2011/12 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 8.4
Merit 61.5
Pass 27.8
Fail 2.2

Key facts

Department: Social Policy

Total students 2012/13: 75

Average class size 2012/13: 15

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course survey results

(2010/11 - 2012/13 combined)

1 = "best" score, 5 = "worst" score

The scores below are average responses.

Response rate: 89.6%

Question

Average
response

Reading list (Q2.1)

2.3

Materials (Q2.3)

2

Course satisfied (Q2.4)

2.1

Lectures (Q2.5)

2.1

Integration (Q2.6)

2.3

Contact (Q2.7)

2.1

Feedback (Q2.8)

2.4

Recommend (Q2.9)

Yes

67.2%

Maybe

30.8%

No

2%