This course aims at introducing economic tools for understanding and analysing the health care sector. Topics that we will investigate in depth include: 

1.    Distinctive economic characteristics of the commodity ' health care'; 

2.    Grossman's model of health capital

3.    Health and health care production functions 

4.    Adverse selection and the Rothschild-Stiglitz model 

5.    Moral hazard in the healthcare sector 

6.    Cost-effectiveness analysis

7.    Cost-benefit analysis

 

We will apply the economics tools to study some of the key players of the healthcare sector, including: Hospitals, Physicians, Health Insurance Companies, and Pharmaceutical Companies. 

 

We will study how government policies help shape the healthcare sector. We will also learn economic methods for evaluating the effects of health care policies.

In addition, students in this course will participate in graduate seminars, where they study and present literature on selected topics of health economics.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. define the determinants of the demand for health care, demand for health insurance and the supply of health, as well as the health and health care production functions;
2. demonstrate a deep understanding of the size and scope and the key players of the health sector;
3. utilize formal intermediate microeconomic analysis to evaluate health economics issues;
4. summarise, analyse and present a selection of academic literature on health economics.

Research-Led Teaching

Classical as well as frontier research topics, methodologies, and outcomes in health economics will be introduced along the way. Students will be able to see how results from the models can be applied to analyse real world questions, and what questions remain to answer. The lecturer will present his own research in health economics, and also discuss with students their questions and thoughts that arise from their experience, observation, and study of this course.

The course materials from the textbook will be the same as those for the co-taught course Econ3004 Health Economics. However, Econ6039 will have a graduate-course component. The lecturer will present published research papers and assign those papers for Econ8039 students to study. There will be tutorials questions built around those papers, and the papers will become a part of the Econ6039 final exam.

Required Resources

“Health Economics”, by Bhattacharya, Hyde, and Tu, Published by Palgrave Macmillan. A request has been put to the ANU Library to have the Ebook available and also to have the book on 2hr reserve at the Chifley Library.  The Ebook is also available for purchase on the publisher's website.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Ch1. Introduction of Health Economics Ch2. Demand for health care
2	Ch3. Demand for health: The Grossman model
3	Ch5. The labour market for physicians
4	Ch6. The hospital industry
5	Ch7. Demand for insurance	Wattle online quiz
6	Ch8. Adverse selection: Akerlof’s lemons model
7	Ch9. Adverse selection: the Rothschild-Stiglitz model	Mid-semester Exam
8	Ch11. Moral hazard
9	Ch12. Pharmaceuticals and the economics of innovation
10	Ch14. Health technology assessment: Cost-effectiveness analysis
11	Ch14. Health technology assessment: Cost-benefit analysis Healthcare systems around the world and Healthcare reforms
12	Healthcare systems around the world and Healthcare reforms

Tutorial Registration

TUTORIALS: ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage. https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/timetabling

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Mid-semester Exam	35 %	1,2,3,4
Final Exam	65 %	1,2,3,4
Wattle online quiz	5 %	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

PARTICIPATION: For this course in Semester 2 2022, all the lectures will be delivered through pre-recorded videos. The tutorials will be delivered in two ways (i) on campus through Face-to-Face teaching, and (ii) via a live zoom tutorial, which are only for students who cannot attend on-campus classes due to Covid-related travel restrictions. All the students that can attend on-campus classes should attend the on-campus tutorials. Details on the delivery of this course and expectations of student participation will be outlined in further detail on the Wattle course site in O-week.  

Examination(s)

See Assessment Tasks above.

Assessment Task 1

Mid-semester Exam

The exam will be held in Week 7 on Wattle in the format of Wattle Quiz. The exam will be 2 hours long. It will be made up of Multiple Choice Questions and Short Answer Questions. For the Short Answer Questions, students can either answer directly using the text-editing tools provided in the exam or upload scanned images of their answers. Further information will be announced in lecture by Week 4.

Assessment Task 2

Final Exam

The final exam will be held on Wattle in the format of Wattle Quiz in the final exam period. The exam will be 2.5 hours long. It will be made up of Multiple Choice Questions and Short Answer Questions. For the Short Answer Questions, students can either answer directly using the text-editing tools provided in the exam or upload scanned images of their answers. More details such as the coverage will be provided in lecture no later than week 9.

Assessment Task 3

Wattle online quiz

A quiz in the form of multiple choice questions will given through Wattle in the format of Wattle Quiz in Week 5. The quiz will cover course materials taught from Week 1 to Week 3. There will be 3 questions and it will take 20 minutes. The quiz result will be released in Week 5 after the quiz closes. The final timing of the quiz will be announced no later than Week 3.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students