HEALTH ECONOMICS

Second year course that can be chosen for the generic track of the laurea magistrale in GOVERNANCE DELLE ORGANIZZAZIONI PUBBLICHE.

The course aims to provide a set of tools useful for understanding and analyzing the ongoing transformations in health policies, both nationally and internationally, as well as the role of public and private practitioners in health protection. A special focus is given to current themes and issues.

The course is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the basic analytical tools used by health economists, focusing on the economic decisions and processes that determine the demand for and production of "health" and "healthcare." The second part analyzes in detail the Italian health care system, its financing and organization. n addition, it conducts an international comparison of different models of health protection. Finally, the third part focuses on the most complex challenges facing the western health systems in this century, such as the aging of their populations and the management of their health care systems during pandemic and post-pandemic times.

Expected learning outcomes include:
- General understanding of the link between health policies and health protection
- Understanding the determinants of the demand and supply of healthcare, health spending, and resource allocation issues in the health sector, as well as the role played by public and private institutions and the key elements in health policy evaluation.
- Acquisition of the ability to apply the tools of economic analysis to assess efficiency and equity issues in the allocation of resources in a health system, and to identify the key characteristics of the main policy interventions to address these issues
- Acquisition of the ability to interpret data relevant for health policy analysis, and available in national and international databases
- Development of independent judgment skills as far as relevant aspects of health economics and policy are concerned.
- Acquisition of communication skills and appropriateness in the use of technical language to convey content, with particular regard to health systems analysis and health policy evaluation.

Students are expected to be comfortable with the material covered in introductory and intermediate microeconomics courses. Some familiarity with statistics and exposure to regression analysis are helpful.

1. Introduction to Health Economics – How do Economists think about Health Issues
2. Microeconomic and Statistical Tools for Health Economics
3. Economic Development and Population Health
4. Demand and Supply of Health and Healthcare
5. The Grossman Model
6. Socioeconomic Disparities in Health
7. Health Insurance
8. Population Aging and Health Care Needs
9. Comparative Health Care Systems
10. Global Problem of Pandemics and COVID-19

Battacharya, J., T. Hyde, and P. Tu, 2014, Health Economics, Palgrave McMillan, New York, NY.

Gruber, J., 2022, Public Finance and Public Policy, 7th Edition, McMillan, New York, NY (Part III).

Folland, S., A. Goodman, and M. Stano, 2017, The Economics of Health and Health Care, 8th Edition, New York, NY.

Mapelli, V., 2012, Il sistema sanitario italiano, Il Mulino, Bologna.

Additional readings will be made available on moodle.

Written exam (exercises and open-ended questions)].
Students attending the course will be given the opportunity of being partly assessed through class presentations.

The grading scale (how the grades will be assigned) is the same for attending or non-attending students:
1. scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- sufficient knowledge and ability to understand applied in relation to the programme;
- sufficient ability to apply knowledge and understanding and judgment;
- sufficient communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the subject;
2. scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- good knowledge and ability to understand applied in relation to the programme;
- good ability to apply knowledge and understanding and judgement;
- good communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the subject;
3. scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- excellent knowledge and ability to understand applied in relation to the programme;
- excellent ability to apply knowledge and understanding and judgment;
- excellent communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the subject.
4. the score 30L (30 cum laude / con lode) may be awarded for outstanding performance.

"Blended" course.
The course consists of face to face and (synchronous and asynchronous) online lectures, and include active and flipped learning activities.

Italian

For any course-related information, students should trust only the course website on moodle (password provided in class or during office hours).

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development