70126 - Health Systems

Academic Year 2025/2026

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is introduced to the principles of health care organization and policy in a comparative perspective. Aim of the course is to understand the evolution and contemporary state of health care systems in different OECD countries. By the end of the course, the student is able to: 1) Identify the key characteristics and components of health care systems. 2) Assess each health care systems strengths and weaknesses 3) Explain the recent health care reform efforts in OECD countries

Course contents

Course contents:

The evolutionary path of OECD health care systems

Main models of health care funding, including the differences between tax based models, SHI-models and models based on voluntary insurance

Models of health care provision

Health care reforms over the last decades

Health policy and politics

Readings/Bibliography

Textbook

Toth, F. (2021). Comparative Health Systems. A New Framework. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures and class discussion.

The course consists of 10 meetings of 180 minutes each.

Assessment methods

Written exam consisting of 5 open questions.

The maximum possible score is 30 cum laude, and the grade is graduated as follows:

<18 failed
18-23 sufficient
24-27 good
28-30 very good
30 e lode excellent

Teaching tools

Traditional lectures and class discussion.

Office hours

See the website of Rossella Verzulli