HEALTH SYSTEMS

The Health Systems studio contains three concentrations which, taken together, provide an overview of health systems in the United States and around the world.

In Health Economics, students will look at health from an economic perspective, which offers unique insights into the determinants of health and the functioning of health systems. Students will learn about such concepts as scarcity, opportunity cost, individual choice, decentralization, efficiency and quality, externalities and public goods. The concentration will prepare students to understand the varied components of health care costs, major economic theories of health insurance, models of investment in health, and issues of health behavior and choice.

In Comparative Health Systems, students will learn about the historical foundations of the health care systems in Germany, England, Canada, and Australia and how those health care systems function today, with a focus on financing, coverage, population-level health outcomes and health disparities. We will examine similarities and differences across these cases studies and how they compare to the United States. We will also discuss how lessons learned from these countries may be relevant to health policy debates in the United States.

In U.S. Public Health and Health Care Systems, students will learn about the historical foundations of the U.S health care system. How did the system evolve?  How is it organized? Who pays the health care bill? What role does government play (and how do different levels of government share these tasks)? What best explains the politics of health reform? How has the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, enacted in March 2010, impacted the uninsured, the effort to contain health care costs, and the effort to improve the quality and efficiency of the American health care system?  What are the pros and cons of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic?  How has the nation responded to racial and other disparities in health care access and quality?  What are the key issues on the nation’s long-term care policy agenda?  What are the key market-driven health care trends and how are they changing the health system?