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ES30083: Health economics

[Page last updated: 02 August 2022]

Academic Year: 2022/23
Owning Department/School: Department of Economics
Credits: 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 120
Level: Honours (FHEQ level 6)
Period:
Semester 1
Assessment Summary: CW 100%
Assessment Detail:
  • Coursework (CW 100%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites: Before taking this module you must take ES20011
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.

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.

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.

Programme availability:

ES30083 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Economics
  • UHES-AFB03 : BSc(Hons) Economics (Year 3)
  • UHES-AAB03 : BSc(Hons) Economics with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • UHES-AKB03 : BSc(Hons) Economics with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UHES-AFB04 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Mathematics (Year 3)
  • UHES-AAB04 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Mathematics with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • UHES-AKB04 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Mathematics with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UHES-ACB04 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Mathematics with Combined Placement and Study Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHES-AFB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics (Year 3)
  • UHES-AAB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • UHES-AKB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UHES-ACB01 : BSc(Hons) Economics and Politics with Combined Placement and Study Abroad (Year 4)
  • UHES-ACB03 : BSc(Hons) Economics with Combined Placement and Study Abroad (Year 4)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2022/23 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2023/24 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2022/23.
  • Programmes and units are subject to change 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.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.