PADM-591: Health Care Public Policy

Health care policies can have a profound effect on quality of life. Accessibility, cost, and quality of health care; safety of food, water, and environment; the right to make decisions about our health: these issues (and more) are vitally tied to health care policies. This course presents an introduction to health policy, i.e., the various ways in which the government plays a role in health and in the provision of health care and provides a framework for understanding the social, political and economic dimensions of health policy. The courses introduces the policy-making and legal system of the United States, builds on foundational information about the organization of the health care system in the U.S., and highlights issues in health policy including environmental health policy, an overview of major health care reforms (e.g., the Affordable Care Act), key economic considerations (e.g., finance and budgeting, public and private costs), pharmaceutical policy, injury prevention, and aging and long-term care.