Students

ECON3018 – Health Economics

2022 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Kompal Sinha
kompal.sinha@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above including ((ECON110 or ECON111 or ECON1020) and 20cp at 2000 level or above)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Australia spends around 10% of its GDP on health - a figure not uncommon among most developed countries. With people living longer, the health care industry is projected to be one of the largest employers, world wide. These facts make an understanding of the economics of health care important for future economists. Questions explored include: What makes health a unique economic good? Why does health need government intervention? Why do people buy health insurance? Why do doctors charge richer patients more than poorer patients? What do hospitals maximise: profits; patients treated or quality of service? Adopting a microeconomic approach, students are introduced to concepts and techniques relevant to the understanding of health economics and to answering these questions. Topics may include: the economics of health care (demand and supply, market imperfections including market failure and resulting resource allocation); the behaviour of agents (hospitals, physicians and private health insurers) in health care; the role of government and the need for government intervention; equity and ethics in health care resource allocation; the Australian health care system; health and economic development; the case of Aboriginal health.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Apply theoretical microeconomics to health economics.
  • ULO2: Identify and analyse the role of health economics in understanding health systems.
  • ULO3: Analyse the unusual features of markets for health care as compared to markets for other goods.
  • ULO4: Effectively communicate knowledge of health economics in technical and non-technical language.

General Assessment Information

Late submissions of assessments

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, no extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available assessment-task marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24-hour period or part thereof that the submission is late. Late submissions will only be accepted up to 96 hours after the due date and time.

No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g., quizzes, online tests.

Table 1: Penalty calculation based on submission time

Submission time after the due date (including weekends)

Penalty (% of available assessment task mark)

Example: for a non-timed assessment task marked out of 30

<24 hours

10%

10% x 30 marks = 3-mark deduction

24-48 hours

20%

20% x 30 marks = 6-mark deduction

48-72 hours

30%

30% x 30 marks = 9-mark deduction

72 – 96 hours

40%

40% x 30 marks = 12-mark deduction

>96 hours

100%

Assignment won’t be accepted

 

Special Consideration

To request an extension on the due date/time for a timed or non-timed assessment task, you must submit a Special Consideration application. An application for Special Consideration does not guarantee approval.

The approved extension date for a student becomes the new due date for that student. The late submission penalties above then apply as of the new due date.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Mid session test 15% No Week 7
Student presentations 15% No Week 9
Research report 40% No Week 13
Final examination online 30% No University examination period

Mid session test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 15%

A short multiple choice test will be held during Week 7. The material covered in week 1 to 6 will be tested.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theoretical microeconomics to health economics.
  • Analyse the unusual features of markets for health care as compared to markets for other goods.

Student presentations

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 15%

Each student is required to participate as a presenter. The student roster for these presentations will be prepared in Week 3.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Effectively communicate knowledge of health economics in technical and non-technical language.

Research report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%

A research report on suggested topic.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse the role of health economics in understanding health systems.
  • Effectively communicate knowledge of health economics in technical and non-technical language.

Final examination online

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: University examination period
Weighting: 30%

A two-hour open book exam will be held during the University Examination Period, and will cover all aspects of the unit material.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theoretical microeconomics to health economics.
  • Analyse the unusual features of markets for health care as compared to markets for other goods.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

The unit delivery will include one hour pre-recorded lecture + 2 hour interactive zoom session. Lecture material will be available on iLearn before each class.  The weekly Zoom meetings will focus on the set of review questions outlined in the weekly workshop document and academic papers listed in the unit reading list available on iLearn. Students should read the relevant paper(s) before each class.

There is no required text for this unit. 

UNIT READINGS

Folland, S., A. Goodman and M. Stano, (2016) The Economics of Health and Health Care, (7th Ed), Pearson.

Henderson, James W. Health economics and policy (with economic applications). Cengage Learning, 2012. 

PRESCRIBED TEXT

Folland, S., A. Goodman and M. Stano, (2016) The Economics of Health and Health Care, (7th Ed), Pearson.

The text, also referred to as FGS in this unit, is available for purchase at Co-op Bookshop. A small number are available on reserve in the library. Earlier editions are similar but page references may change.

RECOMMENDED TEXT

Henderson, James W. Health economics and policy (with economic applications). Cengage Learning, 2012. 

Phelps, C. E. (2016). Health economics. Routledge.

Duckett, S., & Willcox, S. (2015). The Australian health care system (No. Ed. 5). Oxford University Press.

Palmer, G. R., & Short, S. D. (2000). Health care and public policy: an Australian analysis. Macmillan Education AU.

Jones, A. M. (Ed.). (2012). The Elgar companion to health economics. Edward Elgar Publishing. Culyer, A. J., & Newhouse, J. P. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of health economics. Elsevier.

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.04 of the Handbook