Instructor: Vinish Shrestha
Email: vshrestha@towson.edu
Setting: Synchronous lectures Tuesdays and Thursdays (5-6:15 pm)
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays (3:30 to 4:45 pm)
With plethora of health reforms implemented around the world in the recent decades, this is an interesting time to study health economics. This course will provide theoretical understanding about economics of health and health care, which will be backed by empirical findings. Some broad questions of interest are:
The semester will be divided into three parts.
Part 1. This section will explore the demand for health. First, we will explore some empirical techniques to evaluate whether health care has a downward sloping demand curve. Then we will proceed with a model that provides theoretical understanding of how choices pertaining to health stocks are made. As we understand some crucial drivers that determines the demand for health, we will proceed to the next part, which conducts an empirical investigation.
Part 2. This part will provide discussion of emprical findings in support of Part 1. It begins with the chapter that provides evidence regarding the disparity in health outcomes in US and some developing countries. Then we will look at several techniques that can be used in an applied setting to answer questions in (but not limited to) Health Economics. We will explore income and education gradients in detail. This module will end with a discussion about the demand for health insurance.
Part 3. Here, we recognize some problems in the health care market, which will be followed by discussion of different types of health insurance policies implemented around the world.
We will be using ``Health Economics’’ from Jay Bhattacharya, Timothy Hyde and Peter Tu. This book is mandatory as readings will be assigned from this book.
You are required to read several papers in this class. You should have read the papers beforehand and should be ready for the classroom discussion.
The course will be held in an online setting. However, I will be dispensing synchronous lecture on Tuesdays and Thursdays (5 to 6:15 pm) through Blackboard Collaborate. I encourage you to be a part. These lectures will also be recorded and you should be able to access them outside of the class time.
The grading criteria is as follows:
Table 1.| Criteria | Points | % Total Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Exam I (Oct 6) | 200 | 20 |
| Exam II (Nov 3) | 200 | 20 |
| Exam III (Dec 8) | 200 | 20 |
| Problem Sets | 400 | 40 |
| Total | 1000 | 100 |
Problem Sets. There will be a total of 10 problem sets, which will comprise 40% of your grade, and you need to solve them in groups. The groups will be randomly announced by me and you will retain the same group until the upcoming exam, after which new groups will be assigned. The announcement of groups will be posted on Blackboard.
When you submit a problem set, the following needs to be kept in mind: i) One submission per group (for example, if there is a group of 5, only one problem set solution needs to be turned in), ii) you need to contribute (if you try and free ride your way through, I will give you a zero), iii) all problem sets need to be typed in neatly, and iv) they need to be turned in via blackboard.
In this kind of group work, there will certainly be a tendency to free ride – meaning that you try and avoid working by letting your friend do most of the work. For each person in a group, I will be sending out a peer evaluation survey, which you need to fill out. For example, say, you and I are in a group; we will each receive a survey in which I evaluate your contribution and you evaluate mine. Now, if a student “X” is consistently getting low evaluations, I will penalize the score of that particular student, and if I have to do this, it will definitely affect your grade.
The other reason why you should not be free riding off of your peer is because the problems in your assignments will be very similar to the problems on your exams. But note that your peers will not be there to help you during your exams. So, I request everyone to learn honestly, this is a great opportunity to learn from your peers; but you will not be learning at all if you choose a dishonest path.
The homework due dates are as follows:
| Problem set # | Due date |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sept 4 |
| 2 | Sept 11 |
| 3 | Sept 18 |
| 4 | Oct 2 |
| 5 | Oct 18 |
| 6 | Oct 25 |
| 7 | Nov 8 |
| 8 | Nov 13 |
| 9 | Nov 20 |
| 10 | Dec 4 |
Exams. There will be three exams on the dates mentioned in Table 1. All of the exams will be held online and you will not be allowed to communicate with one another. The exams will be posted on blackboard on the given dates at 6 am but will disappear by 11:59 pm; you can take the exam anytime in between these hours. But, please make sure that you have enough time to take your exam.
I will make an annoucement regarding the exam a week prior to the exam date. I want to make it clear that I will not be reopening the exams if you miss them for no valid reason. The three exams will comprise 600 points out of the total 1000 points.
Blackboard. We will be using blackboard to communicate. I will post my lectures, videos, homework assignments and all relevant materials of the course on blackboard. You can also find the lecture notes on my webpage here.
Email. The easiest way to reach me is through email. My email address is mentioned on top part of the syllabus. I will try my best to answer your emails within two business days. If you have any questions about the homework, please email me during the week days or come to see me during the office hours as I will not be answering emails during the weekends.
Office Hours in Blackboard Collaborative. I will have virtual office hours 2 hours each week to guide you through the materials. Again we will be using blackboard collaborative to do this. I will announce the designated days and hours, and we need to be consistent with the timing.
Feedback. I will be conducting several feedback sessions to the entire class in terms of what we have learned, your performance and such. You should be able to keep track of your grade on blackboard. Now, if something (your score) is not recorded, please send me an email. However, blackboard does not accept anything that is past due and I cannot fix this for you.
As per the University’s requirement, you are required to complete the teaching evaluation at the end part of the course. I will make an announcement during the class as well, when those are out.
All students need to work honestly. If I find that you are showing dishonest behavior such as cheating, copying work, or free riding off of your peers’ work, I will take harsh actions, which may lead to you failing the course.
Any student with accommodation needs based on disability should contact me privately regarding the subject matter. I will require a letter from the Disability Support Services (DSS) approving your accommodation needs. Contact: DDS 7720 York Road, Suite 232, phone 410-704-2638
| Letter Grade | Points Needed |
|---|---|
| A | 930 |
| A- | 900 |
| B+ | 860 |
| B | 830 |
| B- | 800 |
| C+ | 760 |
| C | 700 |
| D+ | 660 |
| D | 600 |
| F | 0 |
The course materials will be divided into 3 parts.
Tentative weekly schedule
Exam 1 (Oct 6)
Exam Review and Feedback
Exam 2 (Nov 3)
Thanks Giving Break
Final Exam (Dec 8)
October 19: Last day to drop a course with no grade posted to academic record.
November 25 - 29: Thanksgiving Holiday.