Health Economics

Recommended Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of microeconomics and public economics may facilitate learning. However, this unit should be accessible also to students from related areas, other than economics. Proficiency in the English language, both oral and written, is obviously essential.

Teaching Methods

Teaching methodologies include: the contextualisation of themes using the presentation of relevant national and international data and indicators; the explanation of concepts and models; discussion of texts and concrete health policy measures.

Additionally, students are expected to participate in this process, including the oral presentation of works; in this case, critical appraisals, preferably using concepts discussed during the course, are encouraged.

Learning Outcomes

Future graduates in Economics should understand the specificities, potentialities and limitations of the economic analysis applied to the health sector and how this analysis might support, in a context of resource scarcity, individuals' choices and policy measures.

At the end of the course, the student should have learned about the main topics of discussion concerning the health sector and also to be able to use basic principles and tools typical of economic analysis to critically evaluate aspects and events in the health sector as well as to be able to critically discuss scientific articles published in the related literature.     

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Relevance and specificities of the health sector

2. Organisation and financing of health systems

3. Production of health, demand for health and health care

4. Asymmetric information, supplier induced demand and clinical practice variations

5. Health insurance

6. Production and health care

7. Payment to providers

8. Equity in the health sector

9. Concepts of economic evaluation in health

10. Pharmaceutical industry

Head Lecturer(s)

Carlota Maria Miranda Quintal

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Periodic or by final exam as given in the course information: 100.0%

Bibliography

FOLLAND, Sherman ; GOODMAN, Allen C ; STANO, Miron - The economics of health and health care. 8th ed. London ; New York : Routledge, 2017. [ BP 614 FOL]

DRUMMOND, Michael et al. - Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes.  4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. [BP 614 MET]

Complementary: PHELPS, Charles E. - Health economics. 6th ed. New York: Routledge, 2017. [BP 614 PHE]