HSH763 - Financing Health Care
Unit details
| Year: | 2019 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Trimester 2 Unit Chair: | Jenny Watts |
| Prerequisite: | HSH717 or MPE781 |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Scheduled learning activities - campus: | Campus: 1 x 2 hour seminar each week |
| Scheduled learning activities - cloud (online): | Cloud (Online): 9 x 2 hours weekly class (recording provided). All students will participate in group activities facilitated through the online discussion board (1 hour per week over 11 weeks). |
Content
How societies pay for health care and how many resources are devoted to health and health care can affect individual access to health care; and impact on both health inequalities and population health. As a policy instrument, health financing is about raising sufficient funds in a fair and equitable way; pooling financial resources across population groups to minimise the impact of illness; and creating a legislative framework to support an equitable and efficient use of public funds. This subject will explore alternative mechanisms for financing health care, including collecting revenue, pooling funds, purchasing services from providers and the role of the prevailing policy framework.
Broadly there are two approaches to health care financing: (i) government financed systems and (ii) market-based systems. However in contemporary health systems this distinction is blurred with market-based incentives influencing predominantly government financed healthcare; output-based funding for hospitals and pay-for-performance (P4P) models are examples of this. Insurance, whether universal or private, provides a further layer of complexity.
Any payment system is affected by how the incentives underlying payment, including the existence of insurance, influence individual behaviour; and in health care funding incentives influence the behaviour of both consumers and providers. We will analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different financing and policy options from an economic perspective. The subject will draw on both Australian and international examples of healthcare financing policy.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: 5 written exercises (each exercise approximately 500 words) posted to all students enrolled in the Unit via the CloudDeakin discussion board – Total marks 50%
Assessment task 2: Essay (2500 words) 50%
Unit Fee Information
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