Economics studies the allocation of limited resources among unlimited needs and wants. This course will introduce students to how this takes place in the context of contemporary Canadian health care. By the end of the course, students will understand how Canada’s health system is organized, and be able to conduct basic economic evaluations of health care. To this end, the course will focus on A.C.T.-ing: Analysis, Critique & Communication, and Theory. Analysis: you’ll be expected to apply economic concepts to the analysis of real-world situations. Health care is a practical discipline, and the real world is a messy place. It’s important to understand first-hand issues that come up when theory meets practice. Critique & Communication: A focus of this course will be to train you to read published papers on the economics of health care, and to be able to understand and critique them. You will also be trained in how to effectively communicate your ideas and critiques to the relevant audiences. Theory: A focus of this course will be making sure that students understand the current theory underlying cost-effectiveness analysis of health care.
Common Misconception
A general belief that “Canada’s health care system is not economically sustainable.” The government and partners have been working to increase economic sustainability despite the financial and resource demands on Canada’s healthcare system. Through resource allocation, policy formulation, and financial management, Canada maintains the long-term viability of the healthcare system. It also looks for novel ways to boost effectiveness and lower costs. In several areas, the private sector has had a significant impact. For instance,
the provision of particular medical services and diagnostics is a responsibility of private medical facilities and laboratories. In order to offer additional insurance coverage, the Canadian healthcare system has joined with commercial health insurance providers. “Canada’s health care system is completely free.” The reality is that
Canada’s health care system is public and taxpayer funded, so basic health care is free for citizens. However, this does not mean that all medical services are free. Some specific medical services, such as dental, vision and prescription drugs, require patients to pay out of pocket or purchase additional private insurance in most cases.
Mark Breakdown
• Ongoing Quizzes (10%): There will be roughly 4 quizzes distributed throughout the term. The format of quizzes are multiple choice. This is to test your understanding of subject materials. A good way to prepare is to complete the required readings and understand the lectures. All quizzes are administered through Crowdmark. The best 3 out of 4 quizzes will count.
• Ongoing Writing Assignments (10%): There will be roughly 4 writing assignments distributed throughout the term. The format of writing assignments are short response answers. This is to provide opportunities for writing in the context of health economics, critically analyze economic theory and making connections to real world problems. All writing assignments are administered through Crowdmark. The best 3 out of 4 writing assignments will count.
• Midterm (25%): This will be written online. The duration is 50 minutes. It consists of a combination of multiple choice and short-answer questions.
• Research project (25%):The project will ask you to advocate for or against a health care intervention in a particular Canadian population. You will have to choose your topic, communicate your argument to the relevant general public using insights from behavioral economics, make your case to the relevant Canadian government using your knowledge of cost-effectiveness analysis, and finally analyze the situation as an economist, from the point of view of a hypothetical benevolent social planner. More details are available on Brightspace. The research project is submitted to Brightspace and to Crowdmark, and your submissions must be in PDF format.
• Final Exam (30%): The final exam will be held during the December exam period. It is projected that the final exam is an online exam.
Grading Scale
