96500 - Our Right to Health: Needs, Resources and Society

Learning outcomes

This course starts from case studies to raise students’ awareness of ethical assumptions implied by the methods of economic analysis, management studies, policy analysis, quantitative methods. The approach is participatory and multidisciplinary and leveradges upon the ethical issues behind the case. Students will be presented with real case studies to be analyzed and assessed from multiple perspectives and according to different methodological approaches. This will convey the concept of teamwork and knowledge complementarity in our field. Students with different background will realize the relevance of their own knowledge and the complementarity to the knowledge of their peers. Students will be encouraged to become active rather than passive learners and will learn the basis on how to work on projects related to different disciplines and approaches.

Course contents

Learning outcomes (please disregard the information above):

• Students will get an overview of health law, mainly focusing on EU health law through the four perspectives of the economic fundamental freedoms, the non-discrimination principle, human rights and EU values and ethics.
• Students will also get an overview of selected health systems, clustered into Beveridge (Norway, Italy) and Bismarck (Netherlands, Austria) systems.
• Students will also reflect on the future of EU health law and our right to health against the background of current challenges and crises (i.e., the ‘European Health Union’).
• Overall, students shall be able to reflect on what ‘Our right to health’ means in terms of (existing) needs, (necessary) resources and (consequences for) society.
  
  

Content:

1. Economic rights (Fundamental freedoms & Directive)

2. Human rights (Charter of Fundamental Rights [CFR] & case-law)

Q&A session (questions & repetition)

 

3. Non-discrimination (Directives & CFR)

4. Values & ethics (Ethical Spirit & Art 2 TEU)

Q&A session (questions & repetition)

 

1. Beveridge & Bismarck health systems overview (Netherlands and Italy)

2. Bismarck & Beveridge health systems overview (Norway and Austria

3. Workshop EHU

Q&A session (questions & repetition)

Readings/Bibliography

Introduction to some European Union (EU) basics:

• Frischhut, M. (2026). What one should know about the European Union (EU): A quick introduction to EU law (5th edition). NWV im Verlag Österreich. https://doi.org/10.37942/9783708343372

 

EU health law, further reading (see also information provided on slides):

• Greer, S. L., Rozenblum, S., Fahy, N., Panteli, D., Jarman, H., Brooks, E., Ruijter, A. de, Rockwell, O., & Wismar, M. (2024). Everything you always wanted to know about European Union health policy but were afraid to ask (Fourth, revised edition).
• Hervey, T. K. (2023). EU health law. In S. Peers & C. Barnard (Eds.), European Union Law (4th edition, pp. 662–691). Oxford University Press.
• Hervey, T. K., & Orentlicher, D. (Eds.). (2021). Oxford handbooks. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Health Law. Oxford University Press.

• Ruijter, A. de. (2019). EU Health Law & Policy: The Expansion of EU Power in Public Health and Health Care. Oxford University Press.

Teaching methods

The course is based on an interactive approach in order to acquire the necessary knowledge together and to achieve the learning objectives accordingly.

Therefore, both attendance and active participation are recommended and highly welcomed.

Question and answer (Q&A) sessions are designed to allow students to deepen their knowledge of the topics covered and to help them prepare for examinations. Due to the interactive approach of our course, the Q&A sessions might also be used to cover remaining topics of the previous sessions.

Assessment methods

The assessment is based on a written final exam, which could be taken only on site, made on a balanced mix of multiple-choice questions and essay questions (further information will be provided in due time).

The assessment method does apply to both attending and non attending students.

While AI might be discussed when it comes to knowledge creation during the course, no AI is allowed during the exam.

Teaching tools

Power Point Presentations

Any further material mentioned during the lectures

Office hours

See the website of Markus Frischhut