Students

ECON8016 – Health Economics and Policy

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Ha Vu
ha.vu@mq.edu.au
Room 426 4 Eastern Road
Please check ilearn
Lecturer and Tutor
Mahmut Temur
mahmut.temur@mq.edu.au
Please check ilearn
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to GradCertResMQBS or GradDipResMQBS or MAppEc (1 year)) or ECON6049 or ECON6032 or ECON8091
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces students to the economic tools and their application that is relevant to the understanding of the economics of health and health care. Adopting a microeconomic approach, students learn the economic, statistical concepts and techniques relevant to health economics. Topics covered may include supply and demand for health, information and insurance markets, key players in the health care sector, social insurance, the economics of health innovation (pharmaceuticals, technology and health technology assessment), health policy, health systems around the world, the health economics of bads (smoking, alcohol), public health economics, behavioural health economics, ethics in health, impact on economic development and the case of Indigenous 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: Evaluate the importance of health economics and its relevance to health systems.
  • ULO2: Apply theoretical knowledge of applied microeconomics to health economics.
  • ULO3: Evaluate health as a unique economic good, and the role of market players, market imperfections and the government.
  • ULO4: Critically analyse the role of health economics in the design of health policy globally.
  • ULO5: Effectively communicate theories and knowledge of health economics in technical and non-technical language.

General Assessment Information

Late Submission Penalties

If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days. Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

Example 1 (out of 100):

If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

Example 2 (out of 30):

If you score 27/30 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

Extensions

Automatic short extension: Some assessments are eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an automatic short extension before the due date.

Special Consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration. Need help? Review the Special Consideration page for further details.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Skills development: Research and communication 30% No Starting Week 6 in Seminar class Individual No Observed
Professional practice: Application of learning 40% No 13/10/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
Professional practice: Debating policy issues 30% No Starting Week 12 in Seminar class Group No Observed

Skills development: Research and communication

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Starting Week 6 in Seminar class
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop expertise in crafting and delivering solutions on real-world related issues. You will conduct research and present a literature review on one of the pre-assigned topics.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication skills
  • Digital skills
  • Global, ethical and environmental citizenship 
  • Discipline knowledge 

Deliverable(s): Presentation (approx 10 min)

Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate the importance of health economics and its relevance to health systems.
  • Apply theoretical knowledge of applied microeconomics to health economics.
  • Evaluate health as a unique economic good, and the role of market players, market imperfections and the government.
  • Effectively communicate theories and knowledge of health economics in technical and non-technical language.

Professional practice: Application of learning

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 13/10/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate the ability to apply the expertise you have gained in Health Economics and Policy. You are required to prepare a case study report on one of the selected policy topics.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication skills
  • Digital skills
  • Work readiness
  • Global, ethical and environmental citizenship 
  • Discipline knowledge 

Deliverable(s): Written Report [max 4000 words]

Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate the importance of health economics and its relevance to health systems.
  • Apply theoretical knowledge of applied microeconomics to health economics.
  • Evaluate health as a unique economic good, and the role of market players, market imperfections and the government.
  • Critically analyse the role of health economics in the design of health policy globally.
  • Effectively communicate theories and knowledge of health economics in technical and non-technical language.

Professional practice: Debating policy issues

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Starting Week 12 in Seminar class
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop critical thinking skills and practice how to construct a persuasive argument. You will be assigned a contemporary issue on health policy.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication skills
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Global, ethical and environmental citizenship 

Deliverable(s): Debate

Group assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate the importance of health economics and its relevance to health systems.
  • Apply theoretical knowledge of applied microeconomics to health economics.
  • Evaluate health as a unique economic good, and the role of market players, market imperfections and the government.
  • Effectively communicate theories and knowledge of health economics in technical and non-technical language.

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

The delivery format of this Unit is as follows:

1.      Two‑hour face‑to‑face lecture: Delivered on campus every Thursday 4-6pm in 14SCO T3 Lecture Theatre. The lecture is co-taught with Econ8018. Each week’s lecture includes embedded in‑class discussions or activities to support engagement and active learning. All lectures are recorded live and later uploaded to iLearn via Echo360.

2.      One‑hour seminar: The seminar takes place right before the lecture, Thursday 3-4pm (starting Week 2) in 25WW GB31. Each seminar focuses on theoretical and real‑world‑related questions designed to strengthen your discipline knowledge, enhance your critical thinking and problem‑solving skills, and build your overall work‑readiness capability. These activities will also support your performance in the assessment tasks

Required and recommended text:

Lee, R. H. (2014). Economics for healthcare managers. ACHE Learn.

Phillips, C. J. (2008). Health economics: an introduction for health professionals. John Wiley & Sons.

Bhattacharya, J., Hyde, T., & Tu, P. (2013). Health economics. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Folland, S., A. Goodman and M. Stano, The Economics of Health and Health Care, (8th Ed), Pearson.

This textbook 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.

Unit Schedule

Week

Topic

1

Introduction to Health economics

2 & 3

Economic Concepts and Tools for Health Economics

4

Production of health

5

Health and healthcare systems

6

Healthcare markets

7

Government intervention and regulation in healthcare markets

8

Health externalities

 

Mid-session Break

9

Health insurance markets

10

Economics of uncertainty: moral hazard and asymmetric information

11

Economic analysis of intervention

12

Economics of unhealthy choices

13

Behavioural economics

 

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 connect.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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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 2026.04 of the Handbook