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Economics (ECON) 321

Economics of Health Care (Revision 3)

ECON 321

Revision 3 closed, replaced by current version.

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Delivery Mode:Individualized study or grouped study.

Credits:3

Area of Study:Social Science

Prerequisite:None. A basic understanding of mathematics would be an asset to the student.

Centre:Centre for State and Legal Studies

ECON 321 has a Challenge for Credit option.

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Overview

The primary purpose of ECON 321 is designed to introduce you to the discipline of health economics, where the principles of economics are applied to the health care sector. Like other economics courses, Health Economics is primarily concerned with how scarce resources are allocated. Much of the material presented in this course is similar to that found in an introductory economics course, but the emphasis here is on how concepts such as supply and demand, cost, and utility are applied to the health care sector. This course looks at how the economic behaviours of health care consumers and suppliers, particularly in Canada, affect the manner in which resources are allocated.

Outline

Unit 1: Introduction to Economics of Health Care

Unit 2: Outputs and Outcomes—The Products of the Health Care System

Unit 3: Economic Dimensions of the Canadian Health Care System

Unit 4: The Demand for Health Care

Unit 5: Cost

Unit 6: Supply of Health Care Services

Unit 7: Demand and Supply

Unit 8: Specific Health Care Market Models

Unit 9: The Labour Market

Evaluation

To receive credit for ECON 321, you must achieve a minimum grade of “D” on the final exam, and an overall grade of “D” (50 percent) or better for the entire course. You are advised not to attempt the final exam until you have received feedback on both assignments. The weightings for each assignment and the final exam are as follows:

Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Final Exam Total
25% 25% 50% 100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Jacobs, P. & Rapoport, J. (2002). The economics of health and medical care (5th ed.). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc.

Other materials

The course materials also include a course manual and assignments, study guide and a reading file.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.

Opened in Revision 3, April 21, 2008.

View previous syllabus

Last updated by SAS  11/10/2015 14:34:18