HEL-3046 Health Economics and Policy - 10 stp

The course can be taken as a singular course by applicants who meet the academic admission criteria for the Master's program in Public Health.

Application code: 9371

Knowledge and Understanding

• Understand the economic principles underlying health care systems, including market dynamics, supply and demand for health, and market failures.
• Explain the rationale for and against government intervention in health care systems, including regulatory and policy mechanisms.
• Comprehend the economic factors influencing the market for health insurance, including adverse selection and moral hazard.
• Identify and analyze various health care payment systems, such as fee-for-service, capitation, bundled payments, and pay-for-performance.
• Understand funding mechanisms for health systems and their implications on equity, efficiency, and sustainability.
• Explain the principles of regulating and paying for pharmaceuticals, hospital services, and physicians.
• Reflect on the role of economics in health policy and the intersection between health economics and public health.
• Understand international perspectives on health system regulation and funding, including comparisons across countries.
• Identify reliable economic literature and data sources in health economics.
• Be aware of ethical and equity concerns in economic decision-making within health care.

• Understand legal system, priority setting and health promotion in different health systems

Skills

• Apply basic economic theories to analyze health care markets and policy interventions.
• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of various health payment systems in different health care contexts.
• Conduct comparative analyses of health care funding models across different countries or regions.
• Use economic principles to critically assess health insurance mechanisms and their effects on access and affordability.
• Interpret data on health care utilization, costs, and outcomes to inform policy decisions.
• Reflect on the economic implications of regulations and policies in specific health care sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and hospital services.
• Search for and critically appraise research-based literature in health economics.
• Assess ethical considerations in health policy, including trade-offs between efficiency, equity, and sustainability.

General Competences

• Act in accordance with ethical standards in health economics, promoting professional accountability and social responsibility.
• Communicate health economic concepts clearly and effectively through oral presentations and academic written work.
• Develop evidence-based arguments for or against specific health care policies and funding models.
• Critically evaluate health care interventions, policies, and payment models based on economic principles.
• Work collaboratively to address multidisciplinary challenges in health economics and policy.
• Demonstrate awareness of cultural, social, and economic determinants of health and their relevance to policy decisions.
• Reflect on global and regional trends in health economics and adapt knowledge to diverse health care settings.