Instructor: William Foster

Email: [email protected]
Teaching Assistant: Jorge Mesias Moreno
Email: [email protected]

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

FALL 2020
ASUSYNC

ECN 355: Economics of Health Care

“America’s health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.”

–Walter Cronkite

Office Hours: After class and by email appointment on Zoom.

Course Description: This course provides an understanding of the unique economic

complexities of the health care industry and individual health behaviors. The analysis
relies on the economic principles of scarcity, efficiency, productivity, market behavior, de-
mand and supply of health care, the role of insurance in the health care industry, the role
of government in determining health care policy, public policy issues, cost and quality reg-
ulation, the behavioral aspects of health care, and more.

W.P. Carey Learning Goals: The Undergraduate Program of the W.P. Carey School of
Business has established the following learning goals for its graduates:

• Critical Thinking
• Communication
• Discipline Specific Knowledge
• Ethical Awareness and Reasoning
• Global Awareness

Items in bold have significant coverage in this course.

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Economics Department Detailed Criteria for Learning Goals: The economics depart-
ment has established the following criteria for the first three undergraduate learning goals:

• Critical Thinking

– Identifies a question (or problem) and gathers relevant information to analyze it.

– Draws inferences that are supported by the data/evidence and the analysis.

– Synthesizes analysis and theory to draw conclusions or make recommendations.

• Communication

– Constructs a logical argument based on economic principles and observed evidence.

– Effectively communicates in oral form.

– Effectively communicates in written form.

• Discipline Specific Knowledge

– Demonstrates knowledge of resource allocation mechanisms and their implications for

efficiency, distribution, employment, and growth.

– Demonstrates knowledge of the models, methods and statistical techniques used by

economists to study human behavior.

– Demonstrates knowledge of the effects of government policies on efficiency, distribu-

tion, employment, price stability and growth.

The items in bold have significant coverage in this course.

Teaching Philosophy and Course Overview: We will attempt to create a better envi-
ronment for discussion and participation by incorporating current events as they arise.
Students are expected to attend all classes. Attendance and class participation will make
up a portion of the final grade. Lectures will be crucial for understanding the material.
Students are also expected to have completed the readings before each class.

Tutoring Support: The W.P. Carey School of Business offers free tutoring for this class.
More information can be found here:
https://my.wpcarey.asu.edu/undergrad/student-success/success-center.cfm

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Course Objectives, and Course Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course
students are expected to have sufficient knowledge and ability to:

1. Use cost-benefit analysis to evaluate health related topics.

2. Apply economic principles to the production of health and health capital.
3. Use economic tools to analyze health insurance markets.
4. Understand the basics of the health care labor market.

Required Textbook: (you may purchase an earlier edition at your own risk)
The Economics of Health and Health Care, 8th Edition
Sherman Folland, Allen C. Goodman, Miron Stano
ISBN-13: 9781138208049

It is considered a violation of academic integrity to utilize course materials which are ille-
gally sourced. Please ensure that you are ordering and paying for your own materials as
outlined in the ordering instructions.

Other Materials: This course will require you to use a device to access the internet during
class with an app called MobLab. I will be asking questions throughout the semester.
You will be expected to answer within a given window of time. Your answers will remain
anonymous as they appear on screen. Simply answering will give you 50% credit for each
question. Answering correctly will give you the other 50%. Any technical issues you have
with this process after working out the bugs in the first week will be your responsibility.
Please do not ask for score changes because of any issues other than those that are
either mine or the software. I will be very forgiving about grades for this based on the total
final participation of the class in general. It’s also going to cost you $8.

Quizzes / Assignments: Quizzes and assignments will be conducted online. Students

will have one opportunity to complete each timed quiz. Assignments will be more math-
ematical in nature and students will be allowed to submit them as often as they like. The
highest assignment score will be counted. ONE quiz will be dropped. All exams must be
completed on time. This means extensions and make-ups will not be given.

PLEASE EMAIL THE TA ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH QUIZZES AND ASSIGNMENTS.

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Examinations: There will be three exams and a final exam. Your lowest exam (of the four)
will be dropped. All examinations are online and will require the Respondus Lockdown
Browser. Also, you will not be able to go forward and back during the exams. This is
department policy. The questions will be very similar to quizzes and assignments. Be
prepared with a calculator. The final exam is cumulative. If you are happy with your
grade before the final exam you may skip the final exam.
This course uses online proctoring. Online proctoring records both computer screen
activity and physical room environment in order to mimic in-person proctoring conditions.
The recordings are captured to help ensure academic integrity. Prior to the start of the
exam, you will be required to conduct a room scan. If the scan does not show your entire
work environment, you will be in violation of the exam instructions and you may be in viola-
tion of ASU’s Academic Integrity Policy. Exam points may be deducted for exam violations.

NO MAKE UP EXAMS WILL BE SCHEDULED. IF YOU MISS ONE, YOU DROP IT.

Tutoring: University Academic Success Programs offers tutoring this fall via Zoom and
in-person starting August 20, 2020 to December 9, 2020. Fall 2020 tutoring is available
Monday – Thursday from 8:00am – 11:00pm Arizona time; Friday from 8:00am – 3:00pm
Arizona time; and, Sunday from 12:00pm – 11:00pm Arizona time. Visit our website,
tutoring.asu.edu, for more information and to enter the Zoom tutoring room. You can also
use the Tutor Search feature on our website to find a tutor for your course that matches
your availability. All tutoring is free to enrolled ASU students and offered on a drop-in basis.

Academic Integrity, Honor Code, and Ethical Behavior: The W. P. Carey School takes
academic integrity very seriously. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, it is imperative
that you do your own work. Any suspected violations of academic integrity will be taken
seriously and result in the following sanctions:

– A minimum of zero on the assignment AND

– A reduced grade in the course OR
– A failure in the course OR
– An XE which denotes failure due to academic dishonesty on the transcript OR
– Removal from the W. P. Carey School of Business

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ASU Academic Integrity Policy:
https://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity/policy
ASU Provost Academic Integrity site:
https://provost.asu.edu/index.php?q=academicintegrity
W. P. Carey Academic Integrity site:
https://my.wpcarey.asu.edu/academic-integrity/index.cfm
Honor Code:
https://my.wpcarey.asu.edu/academic-integrity/upload/Undergraduate-Honor-Code.
pdf

Absence Policies: There will not be any make-up exams or assignments except in cases
where the student could not complete the work due to university-sanctioned activities (ACD
304-02) or official religious observances/practices for which work is not allowed (ACD 304-
04). Considerations will be made in cases of the death of an immediate family member or
hospitalization of the student.

Late Work: Late work will not be accepted.

Threatening Behavior Policy: Respect your fellow students. Threatening behavior will
be handled per the Student Services Manual (SSM 104-02).

Disability Accommodations: Students with Faculty Contact Sheets for this class need
to present them to the instructor as soon as possible. Other students requiring reasonable
accommodations, as covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, should contact
the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to open up a DRC file and discuss needed accom-
modations. Questions and requests for reasonable accommodations should be directed
to DRC, Matthews Center building, 1st floor, (480) 965-1234, or email [email protected].

Copyright Material: You do not have permission to post or sell notes from my course,
preliminary book chapters I may provide you with, recordings of my lectures, or any other
material from this course which includes but is not limited to tests, quizzes, and homework.

Your Communication: This applies to all of your courses. Include your full name, ID
number, course number and meeting time in every email you send. Do not ask questions

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answered in the syllabus or on the course website. It shows you did not try and look for
yourself. If you ask about a question on a quiz, test, or assignment include the question
and all of the answers in your email. Do not email after an exam to ask when grades will
be posted. Do not send emails after final grades have been posted for those extra points
you need for a grade bump (unless you believe an error has occurred). Two examples:

December 1st, 20XX: (no subject)

yo prof when the exam?? –[email protected]

November 1st, 20XX: Re: Quiz #09

Prof. Kranky, I am in your History of History 211 course on TTh from 12:00 - 1:15.
I do not understand why the answer to Question #10 was false.
Question #10: (True/False) Answering emails is the most productive part of my day.
Thank you for your time,
Jimmy Noshoes
[email protected]
ID#: 9998887777

My Communication: Emails missing key information are put at the bottom of the pile
(or in the above case the trash can). If you do not receive a response in two business
days it is appropriate to resend.

Instructor Absence: How long should students wait for an absent instructor? In the
event the instructor fails to indicate a time obligation (check email or BlackBoard), the time
obligation will be 15 minutes for class sessions lasting 90 minutes or less, and 30 minutes
for class sessions lasting more than 90 minutes. Students may be directed to wait longer
by someone from the academic unit if they know the instructor will arrive shortly.

Important Dates: Please consult the Canvas site for important dates.

Information contained within this syllabus (except grading and absence policies)
is subject to change.

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 Composition of Final Grade

Category Weight
MobLab 10%
Online Assignments 15%
Online Quizzes 15%
Midterms (Best 3 of 4) 60%