Health Economics combines current economic theory, recent research, and health policy problems into a comprehensive overview of the field. This thorough update of a classic and widely used text follows author Charles E. Phelpss 13 years of service as Provost of the University of Rochester. Accessible and intuitive, early chapters use recent empirical studies to develop essential methodological foundations. Later chapters build on these core concepts to focus on key policy areas, such as the structure and effects of Medicare reform, insurance plans, and new technologies in the health care community. In the Fourth Edition, a new focus on lifestyle choices-such as alcohol consumption, obesity, and tobacco use-explores how individual choices affect everyday health and the health care system at large. The latest theoretical developments, Medicaid and SCHIP, insurance plans, new technologies, international comparative studies, and policy updates are integrated where appropriate.
1. Why Health Economics? 2. Utility and Health 3. The Transformation of Medical Care to Health 4. The Demand for Medical Care: Conceptual Framework 5. Empirical Studies of Medical Care Demand and Applications 6. The Physician and the Physician Firm 7. Physicians in the Marketplace 8. The Hospital as a Supplier of Medical Care 9. Hospitals in the Marketplace 10. The Demand for Health Insurance 11. Health Insurance Supply and Managed Care 12. Government Provision of Health Insurance 13. Medical Malpractice 14. Externalities in Health and Medical Care 15. Managing the Market: Regulation and Technical Change in Health Care 16. Universal Insurance Issues and International Comparisons of Health Care Systems Authors Postscript Appendix: Introduction to Basic Economics Concepts Bibliography Acknowledgments Index