Overview of Course

Good health and access to health care are personal and complex issues important to everyone – yet there are gaps in the United States and across the world in both quality and access to health care services despite high spending in industrialized countries. In this class, you will learn about the many characteristics of health and health care that deviate from typical markets, and the myriad ways governments are involved in health. We will learn about the financing of health care in the United States and other countries, the role of health insurance, the role of government, and the incentives of physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers. Students will leave this course with a better understanding of how the health care system works in the United States, and proposed health care reforms.