GBA 3 Health Care Economics and Issues
This is a required course for the GBA designation and can also be used as an elective course for the CEBS designation.
Economics is a social science that concerns itself with analyzing the production and distribution of goods and services. Health economics concerns itself with the health care economy and applies the tools of economics to the health care sector. This course is based on the assumption that in order to understand the field of health economics, students must develop a working knowledge of the analytical tools of economics. Topics covered include an analysis of the factors that affect supply and demand for health care services; how health care is financed; statistical tools used in health care economics; and the role of technology, pharmaceuticals and information asymmetry. An analysis of health care reforms is presented from the viewpoints of the private sector as well as federal and provincial/territorial. A review of other countries' initiatives of health care reform is provided. The primary objective of the course is to show that economics can help those involved in the employee benefits field better understand how decision makers throughout the health economy make choices.
Study Materials:
Learning Guide (2nd edition), $145.00
- Text: The Economics of Health and Health Care (6th edition), by Sherman Folland, Allen C. Goodman and Miron Stano, Prentice Hall Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2009, $185.15
See Study Materials for details on how to order study materials.
Enrichment Reading:
Employee Benefits in Canada, Third Edition Revised
Assignment Topics
- The Relevance of Health Care Economics
- Economic Concepts Relevant to Health Care Markets
- Introduction to Statistical Tools for Health Economics
- Supply and Demand in Health Care Markets
- How Health Care Markets Differ From Other Markets
- Health Insurance Markets and Consumer Choice
- Financing of Physician and Hospital Care
- Impact of Information Asymmetries in Health Care Markets
- Impact of Health Care costs and Technology on Production
- Economic Analysis Techniques and Evaluation Measures
- Economic Analysis Techniques and Evaluation Measures Applied to Pharmaceuticals
- Human Capital Markets: Supply of Physicians and Nurses