HSCI 304: Health Policy

This course explores health policy and the impact of government on healthcare delivery and access. Course Outcomes: 1. Explain how federal, state, and local health policy is made. ILOs 3, 4, & 6; PLO 1 2. Explain how healthcare is financed (where the money comes from) and the implications for health policy. ILOs 3, 4, & 6; PLO 2 3. Explain how the Medicare and Medicaid programs work and describe issues for reform. ILOs 3, 4, & 6; PLO 3 4. Explain the organization of the healthcare system, including principles and examples of health insurance and healthcare finance. ILOs 3, 4, & 6; PLOs 1 & 2 5. Analyze policy issues concerning the pharmaceutical industry. ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4, & 6; PLO 1 6. Analyze impact of medical errors and malpractice and the opportunities for reform. ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4, & 6; PLOs 1, 2, & 3 7. Analyze the challenges of rising healthcare costs and opportunities for reform. ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4, & 6; PLOs 1 & 2 8. Analyze challenges of disparities in healthcare, their causes, and opportunities for reform. ILOs 1, 3, 4, 5, & 6; PLOs 1 & 2 9. Compare and critique the health care policy of the U.S. and certain other countries. ILOs 1, 3, 4, & 6; PLO 1 10. Demonstrate how to present data to policymakers and managers to effectively inform policy decisions. ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4, & 6; PLOs 1, 3, & 4