Description
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the U.S. health care system, its components, and the policy challenges created by its organization. Special attention will be given to the status and implementation of the ACA at the state and federal levels and to the budgetary implications of health care spending more broadly. The major health policy institutions and important issues that cut across institutions, including private insurers and the federal/state financing programs (Medicare and Medicaid/SCHIP), disparities in access to care, the role of pharmaceuticals in health care and the pricing and regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, the quality of care, the challenges of long-term care and the aging of the population, and the drivers of cost growth will also be studied.