Main description:

An approachable beginner's guide to health economics that brings the economist's way of viewing the world to bear on the fundamentals of the US healthcare system. The conversational writing style, with occasional doses of humour, allows students to see how applicable economic reasoning can be to unpacking some of the sector's thorniest issues, while accessible real-world examples teach the institutional details of healthcare and health insurance, as well as the economics that underpin the behaviour of key players in these markets. Many chapters are enhanced by 'Supplements' that offer how-to guides to tools commonly used by health economists, and economists more generally. They help form the basic 'economist's toolbox' for readers with no prior training in economics, and offer deeper dives into interesting related material. A test bank and lectures slides are available online for instructors, alongside additional resources and readings for students, taken from popular media and health care and policy journals.

Contents:

Preface; Acknowledgments; Part I. Patients: 1. How Economists View Human Behavior; 2. Where Does Health Come From?; 3. Demand for Medical Care; 4. Health Insurance and Demand for Medical Care; 5. Evaluating Evidence; Part II. Providers: 6. Provider Firms; 7. The Medical Labor Force; 8. Providers and Incentives; 9. Hospitals; Part III. Health Insurers: 10. Health Insurance as a Product; 11. Adverse Selection; 12. Prices; 13. Managed Care; 14. Public Insurance; Part IV. The Sector at Large; 15. Pharmaceuticals; 16. Externalities; 17. Medical Malpractice; 18. Inequality; 19. International Comparisons.