Course Description
This course provides an economic framework for understanding healthcare systems, healthcare markets, and healthcare policy. Students will explore how economic principles can be used to analyze healthcare delivery, medical decision-making, and policy design. The course examines key challenges in healthcare markets, including information asymmetry, moral hazard, adverse selection, and inequalities in access to care. Through the analysis of real-world cases and current policy debates, students will learn to evaluate healthcare interventions and reforms from both efficiency and equity perspectives. Special attention will be given to the challenges faced by aging societies and to international comparisons of healthcare systems.

Main Topics

1. Introduction to Health Economics and Healthcare Markets
2. Production of Health and Demand for Healthcare
3. Health Insurance: Theory and Practice
4. Healthcare Provider Behavior and Payment Systems
5. Economic Evaluation in Healthcare
6. Health Inequalities and Social Determinants

Teaching Methods
The course combines theoretical lectures with case-based discussions and applied problem-solving sessions. Students will analyze real-world health policy cases and contemporary healthcare debates. Throughout the semester, students will engage in both individual and group projects that apply economic concepts to current healthcare challenges. They will also develop basic skills in data analysis and policy evaluation through guided exercises.

Evaluation Methods

• Weekly assignment: 30%
• In-class presentation: 30%
• Policy analysis paper: 30%
• Active class participation: 10%

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to: (1) apply economic concepts and analytical tools to healthcare markets and policy issues; (2) evaluate the efficiency and equity implications of healthcare systems and policies; (3) analyze the incentives and behavior of healthcare stakeholders; (4) conduct basic economic evaluations of healthcare interventions; (5) develop evidence-based policy recommendations.

Weekly Schedule

Week 1
Introduction to Health Economics and Healthcare Systems
Reading: Bhattacharya, Chapter 1

Week 2
Production of Health and Demand for Healthcare
Reading: Bhattacharya, Chapters 2–3

Week 3
Supply of Healthcare and Provider Behavior
Reading: Selected articles

Week 4
Health Insurance I: Theory
Reading: Bhattacharya, Chapter 4

Week 5
Health Insurance II: Moral Hazard and Adverse Selection
Reading: Bhattacharya, Chapter 5

Week 6
Payment Systems and Provider Incentives
Reading: Selected policy papers

Week 7
Midterm Case Discussion
Assignment: Midterm presentation preparation

Week 8
Economic Evaluation I: Cost-effectiveness Analysis
Reading: Drummond, Chapters 1–3

Week 9
Economic Evaluation II: Applications
Reading: Drummond, selected chapters

Week 10
Health Inequality and Social Determinants
Reading: Selected academic articles

Week 11
Aging and Healthcare Systems
Reading: Policy reports

Week 12
Final Presentations and Policy Discussion
Assignment: Final policy paper

Bibliography

1. Bhattacharya, J., Hyde, T., & Tu, P. (2013). Health Economics (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing.
2. Drummond, M. F., Sculpher, M. J., Claxton, K., Stoddart, G. L., & Torrance, G. W. (2015). Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
   https://nibmehub.com/opac-service/pdf/read/Methods%20for%20the%20Economic%20Evaluation%20of%20Health%20Care%20Programmes.pdf
3. Selected academic articles and policy papers will be assigned throughout the course.

Course duration: 40 hours of tuition
Credits equivalence: 6 ECTS

Last updated: June 3, 2026