Econ 4999
Health Economics
Lecture 1:
Introduction
Class information

Class website
http://www.colorado.edu/ibs/hb/barham/cours
es/econ4646/

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Username: econ4646
Password: arrow1963

Syllabus: Updated version on class website
Outline
■ What is health and health care?
■ What is health economics?

Why is it important?

What makes the health care market different
from the market or other goods?

What type of questions do health economists
ask?
What is health

Health is a multifaceted concept and not
easily measurable.

WHO definition:


Health is a state of complete physical and mental
well-being and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity (WHO, 1948)
Refer to peoples’ health status (how healthy
they are).
What is health


Important part of human capital

Human capital: value of learning, experience and
ability embodied in workers which increases
productivity and income.

Asset: accumulates and depreciates
Individual or households can improve their
health through use of health care, diet ..

Production of health
 Health Production Functions
 Determinants of health
What is health care?
Definition: The prevention, treatment, and
management of illness and the preservation
of mental and physical well-being through the
services offered by the medical and allied
health professions.
What is health care?

Important difference between health and
health care


Demand health care to improve our health


Health care can be traded on the market but
health cannot.
Demand for Health Care
Health care markets differ from markets for
other commodities

Role for Government
Roots of health economics
Emerged as a sub discipline of economics in
the1960s with the publication of two
important paper:
1.
Kenneth Arrow (1963) “Uncertainty and Welfare
Economics of Medical Care” The American
Economic Review.
2.
Mark Pauly (1968) “The Economics of Moral
Hazard: Comment” The American Economic
Review.

Concerned with the health market not with health
or health status.
What is health economics?
1. Health economics is the study of how
(scarce) resources are allocated to and
within the health economy.

Production of health care (doctors, specialists,
or nurses).

How do we distribute health care across the
population?


Based on who can pay or who needs it or
some combination.
How much money should the government
spend on health care?
What is health economics?
2. Demonstrates the magnitude and
importance of the health sector
e.g. How fast it might be growing and why
3. What makes it different from other markets
and how our analysis may need to adjust
4. Models the determinants of health status
and looks and how government policy might
improve health status in short and long run
Why is it important?
1. The size of the health economy is large and
growing
2. Role of government in the health care markets
3. Health care market is difference from other
markets
4. Externalities
Why is it important?
1. Health economy is large and growing
Figure 1-1
US Health Expenditures Shares, 1960-2003
16
Expenditures as a % of GDP
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
Year
Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Health Data 2005.
1995
2000
The size of US health economy
GDP: The market value of final goods and
services produced within the borders of a
country in a year.
1980s: Rise in shares




1990s: Expenditures flattens out



Increase in insurance coverage and FFS
system
Introduction of more market based policies
Managed care introduced
Could just be an decrease in the
denominator.
National US Spending on Health
Care
Year
NHE
1960
36.7
1970
73.1
1980
Growth % GDP
Per Capita
Nominal Real
5.1
143
483
10.6
7.0
245.8
12.9
8.8
348
1067
897
1295
1990
696.0
11.0
12.0
2,738
2095
1995
990.3
7.3
13.4
2000
1310.0 7.0
13.4
3,698
4,672
2427
2713
2006* 2077.5 7.3
16.0
6,830
N.A.
Numerator is increasing (In billions of dollars); * = projection
NHE = National Health Expenditures
Out-of-Pocket and Federal
Expenditures -Table 1-5 FSG
Total
Out-of-
Third
Federal
Pocket
%
Party
%
%
1960
25.0
12.9
52
12.1
48
2.2
9
1970
67.3
25.1
37
42.2
62
15.6
23
1980
233.5
58.2
25
175.2
75
66.1
28
1990
669.6
137.1
20
532.3
80
181.9
27
2003 1614.2
230.5
14
1384
86
507.5
31
(In billions of dollars)
Medical care prices (CPI), 19602004
Hospital
services
Presc. drugs
ALL
1960
1980
2004
Personal Consumption, 2001
Food and Tobacco
15.3
Housing
14.3
Medical Care
18.2
Hospital and nursing
7.3
Transportation
11.4
Household Operation
10.7
Recreation
8.5
Clothing
5.9
Other
15.6
Source: FSG Table 1.2
Personal Expenditures

Medical care is the largest category.

Most of this is for hospitals/nursing homes

Need to think how policy affects this category
 Uninsured go to emergency rooms

In 1960 food was 25%, housing 15%, and
medical care 5%.

There has been a big shift in spending
patterns. May represent a richer society.
Personal Expenditures
What have we not accounted for in personal
expenditures?

Opportunity cost of your own time

Time spent caring for sick or disabled

Decreased with more spent on nursing home?

Very important in developing countries
US compared to OECD countries
Table 1-1: health expenditures % GDP, OECD

Health expenditures grew rapidly between
1960-1980 for most countries.

Rates continued to rise in1990s in US.

US is the biggest spender.

Twice as much as the UK (national health
insurance).
Questions for you to think about
1. Why do you think health care spending is
higher in the US than in other countries?
2. Is the fact that the US population spends
more per capita on health care than people
in any other developed country evidence of
a failure of the US system?
Why is it important?
1. The size of the health economy is large and
growing
2. Role of government in the health care
markets
Role of Government
Participate because of market failures


Demand side

Provision of insurance

Effort to affect health behavior
Supply side

Price controls

Restriction of entry/exit

Subsidize research

Tax policy
and much more …
US health care spending, 2003
Government is 45 % of total health spending
Source: DHHS, http://www.cms.hhs.gov/statistics/nhe/historical/chart.asp
Percent of health care expenditure
80%
60%
40%
20%
Private
Federal
State and local
Why is it important?
1. The size of the health economy is large and
growing
2. Role of government in the health care markets
3. Medical Market is difference from other
markets
How is the medical care market
different from other markets?
1. Presence of Uncertainty
 Demand is irregular and uncertain

Accidents, can you deny someone lifesaving
care if they don’t have the money?
How is the medical care market
different from other markets?
 Supply–hard to understand the product

Asymmetric information

When we are sick we don’t understand the
treatment we need and must trust our doctor in their
diagnosis.

Different doctors may suggest different treatments
due to uncertainty of outcome.

Hard to judge quality

Governments establish licensing requirements to
ensure minimum level of quality
How is the medical care market
different from other markets?
2. Prominence of Insurance
 People buy insurance to cover themselves
against the risk of illness.
 With third party financing most of the cost of
medical care, individuals are insulated from
the full cost of the care they receive.
 Demand for medical care may rise if you don’t
pay the full cost.
 Treatment recommendations are adjusted to
insurance status.
How is the medical care market
different from other markets?
3. Large role of not-for-profit providers

Economists usually assume firms maximize
profits.

There are many not-for-profit hospitals (85%).
How should economists model their behavior?
4. Role of equity and need

Belief that people ought to get health care
whether or not they can afford it.

Economists need to take this feature of the
good into consideration.
Why is it important?
1. The size of the health economy is large and
growing
2. Role of government in the health care markets
3. Medical Market is difference from other
markets
4. Externalities
Externalities

Communicable disease

A disease that is transmitted through direct
contact with an infected individual or indirectly
through a vector (e.g. mosquito).

Significant reduction in their spread account for
much of the improvement in health in developed
countries
 Malaria, TB, vaccine preventable diseases

Still a significant problem in less developed
countries
Externalities

Individual behaviors (smoking, over eating)

Direct impact on health of person and others

Impacts the cost of health
 premiums –i.e. lung cancer

Impact on demand for health care
Cause of death
90
77
80
70
60
48
43
50
40
30
20
14
9
9
10
0
Developed Regions
Developing Regions
Percent
Communicable
Non-communicable
Source: http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/health.php
Injurie s
Causes of Death in US, 2000
Source: Mokdad et al, 2004
What questions do health economics
ask?

What role should the government play in
health?

What health care investments should a
developing country make?

What advertising should be banned?

What is the optimal design for health
insurance?

Why has health care become so expensive?
What questions do health economics
ask?

Does health care early in childhood lead to
improved cognition and higher incomes in
the future?

Have Medicare and Medicaid increased
utilization and improved health outcomes?

Do different methods of doctor payment
change quality of care, outcomes or costs?