75434 - Health Economics

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Management for Social Economy (cod. 8843)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Management for Social Economy (cod. 8843)

Learning outcomes

The course offers a stronger focus on the health and social policy process and on the economics of health and health care interventions. It explores the concepts, techniques and principles of economic appraisal used in the economics of health care. It examines the ways in which health and social policy is developed and implemented in Italy and explores the role of economic factors in influencing decision-making, also considering the possibility of cooperation and integration between public agents and non profit organizations. 

Course contents

1. Health, efficiency and health care markets.   Introduction. Health economics. Economics of health and economics of health care. Epidemiology and economics. Equity and efficiency: chararacteristics of health care markets. Government intervention and regulation.

2. The insurance market.   Organization of health insurance markets. United States and Managed care. The recent development of Consumer Driven Health Plans. The President Obama reform.

3. Demand for health care.   The production of health. The Grossman's model. The demand for health. Consumer's choice and demand. Asymmetric information and agency. Imperfect information. Supplier-Induced Demand.

4. The supply of health care.   Production and cost of health care. Technology Adoption in Health Care. Data Envelopment Analysis.

5. The health systems.   Comparative health systems. Managed competition and health system reforms. The British experience: from quasi-markets to co-operation. Italian Health reforms.

6. Social services in Italy. The recent Italian reforms. Zone Plans and program agreements.

7. Health and social care integration.  The difficult equilibrium between integration and competition. Managed competition in social and health care services. The Italian reform of Ipab. The regional models of Lombardia and Emilia Romagna at comparison. Non profit organisations. The Role of Nonprofits in health and social care.

Readings/Bibliography

R. Levaggi, S. Capri, Economia sanitaria, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2008.

F. Toth, La sanità in Italia, Mulino, 2014.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

Assessment methods

One hours, two open questions.

Teaching tools

Slide and lecture notes on https://elearning-cds.unibo.it/

Links to further information

http://elearning-cds.unibo.it/

Office hours

See the website of Cristina Ugolini