3 CreditsGlobal PerspectivesSocial SciencesTechnology and Society
The healthcare marketplace constitutes over three trillion dollars in the United States and several trillion spent throughout the world. With growing demand for medical technology and the aging of the population, the scale and complexity of the healthcare supply chain is expected to dramatically increase over the next two decades. The healthcare sector is comprised of several markets for goods and services, including physician services, hospital services, insurance, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and information technology. At the core of it all is healthcare consumers: us as patients, patient family members, and caregivers. This course aims to 1) provide a historical evolution and social transformation of the healthcare sector, 2) critically review the current survey of the health economy, 3) discuss new health policy and reform initiatives and compare to international health system models. The overall goal is to provide an understanding of the scale and interactions between different health sector markets and consumers and to identify market opportunities and policy initiatives, as well as barriers to this expanding and global industry.