U.S. Health System.

URBST

737

U.S. Health System.

This course describes and analyzes health care delivery and financing in the US using concepts and data from sociology, economics, history, philosophy and political science. It begins with the history of American medical practice and education, tracing the ways in which scientific ideas, technological innovation and the politics of professional competition shaped the current U.S. health care system. Next, the patterns of illness in the U.S. population are described in relation to the distribution of health care resources and other social and economic resources. Issues of health services access, quality, financing and cost are discussed, including the ethics of resource distribution. The U.S. health care system is then compared to the systems in Canada, Japan and several European countries. The recent history of health care reform in the U.S. is analyzed and students engage in a debate over current and future policy options.

Fall, Spring

Graduate

Yes