EMREAS 20: The Business and Politics of Health

Announcement (10/6/2017)

Hi All,

Thanks for a great discussion with Governor Beshear.  He asked to share his e-mail with all of you in case you wanted to follow up with any questions.  He can be reached at slbeshear@gmail.com

Thanks!

Announcement (9/25/2017):

Dear Students:

On Oct. 5, former Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear, will join us in class.  Due to this, there has been a slight change in the schedule on the syllabus. The disucssion of the ACA will come first, followed by the introduction to health systems.  A new version of the syllabus can be found here: Syllabus.   

Announcement (9/12/2017):

Please note the following information for sections which start Wednesday, September 12:

Wednesday 11am-12pm - Boylston Hall 104 (S01 - TF Vidit)
Wednesday 12pm-1pm - Boylston Hall 104 (S02 - TF Vidit)
Wednesday 3pm-4pm - Sever 110 (S03 - TF Jamie)
Wednesday 4pm-5pm - Sever 110 (S04 - TF Jamie)

Please let your section TF know if you have any questions!

 

 

 

 

Course Description:  Health care is a major economic industry and a central concern of the body politic.  At the same time, it is an intensely personal matter, one which affects people throughout their life.  This confluence of the personal, the economic, and the political creates tensions for which we would like to have policy solutions.  In this course we will consider three health policy questions for which solutions are urgently needed:  

  • What steps should be taken to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS?
  • How should the United States reform its health care system?
  • How should prescription drugs be produced and sold?

Each of these questions is, on its face, technological.  We should strive for a vaccine for HIV, come up with plans to cover uninsured people, and make it easier to develop cheap, effective medications.  In each case, we will see that these technological solutions are incomplete.  The reason is that these problems not just technological, they are social and political as well.  Thus, addressing them will require consideration of a range of economic, scientific, and moral questions.  We will consider these various dimensions in this course. 

The course is divided into three units, focused on these three policy areas.  At the end of each unit, students will be asked to come up with a solution to the problem being considered.  The solutions will be discussed in section, and some will be presented in class. 

In addition to learning about health, there is another goal for the course.  Throughout our lives, we are forced to make decisions with imperfect information.  What is the best way to reduce violence, address issues of chronic poverty, or improve underperforming schools?  This course will show you how social scientists address empirical questions such as these.  We will discuss the types of data that are available, how those data are analyzed, and the confidence with which causal statements are made. 

Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning or United States in the World, but not both.

Full Syllabus PDF

Course Requirements, Office Hour Information, Course Calendar 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due
Public Domain This course content is offered under a Public Domain license. Content in this course can be considered under this license unless otherwise noted.