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ES30083: Health economics

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2013/4
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: Department of Economics
Further information on credits Credits: 6
Further information on unit levels Level: Honours (FHEQ level 6)
Further information on teaching periods Period: Semester 1
Further information on unit assessment Assessment: CW 30%, EX 70%
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment: Reassessment exam (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites: Before taking this unit you must take ES20011. This unit is only available to students in the Department of Economics.
Further information on descriptions Description: Aims:
The aim of the unit is to present the main themes in health economics, and health care policy, both from a theoretical and empirical stance.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit the student should be able to:
* Apply key microeconomic techniques to problems related to health and health care markets.
* Apply/understand statistical and econometric techniques to problems related to health and health care. (Interpret output from regressions).
* Describe and evaluate key current policy issues related to health. Compare health policies.
* Evaluate and present journal articles from the health economics literature.
* Discuss main trends in health care and identify/design solutions to those problems.

Skills:

* Problem solving: Critical evaluation
* Numeracy: Mathematical operations, Interpretation of mathematics, Econometrics and statistics
* Communication: Presentation Skills, Independent inquiry.

Content:
The unit will cover the following topics:
1) Introduction to health economics (Trends in health spending, cross country comparisons, elementary concepts and selected topics in modern health economics)
2) The Production of Health
3) Cost effectiveness/ cost benefit analysis
4) Demand for medical Care
5) Imperfect Information and medical care
6) Health Insurance
7) Physician Behaviour
8) Hospital Behaviour
9) Health Behaviour: Economics of Cigarettes, Alcohol and Obesity
10) Experiments in Health: Incentives and Habit Formation
11) Economic epidemiology: HIV/Aids.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

ES30083 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Economics
  • UHES-AFB03 : BSc (hons) Economics (Full-time) - Year 3
  • UHES-AKB03 : BSc (hons) Economics (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 4
  • UHES-AFB02 : BSc (hons) Economics and International Development (Full-time) - Year 3
  • UHES-AKB02 : BSc (hons) Economics and International Development (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 4
  • UHES-AFB01 : BSc (hons) Economics and Politics (Full-time) - Year 3
  • UHES-AKB01 : BSc (hons) Economics and Politics (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 4

Notes:
* This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2013/4 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2014/15 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2013/14.
* Programmes and units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
* Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.