Health Economics Paper Requirements

Health Economics Paper Requirements
I. Introduction and Overview
A. This Health Economics Paper Requirements document provides essential information relating
to students’ preparation and submission of their Health Economics Paper.
B. The student’s Health Economics Paper is expected to demonstrate their knowledge,
understanding, and application of selected U.S. health care economics and policy beliefs,
values, concepts, models, theories, features, practices, and issues from course learning, in
addition to their research and writing skills.
C. Each student shall submit a Health Economics Paper on a health economics topic selected by
the student from among the available topics shown in Section II below. The student’s Paper
submission is expected to fully address each of the content itemsshown for the topic selected.
D. The Health Economics Paper shall be prepared in accordance with Section III below.
II. Health Economics Paper Topics and Related Content Requirements
Topic #1: Health Insurance
Address each of the following content items in your Paper:
1. Describe and discuss the role of health insurers in our society.
2. Discuss the purpose of health insurance and the economic advantages to an individual/family
of having it.
3. Describe how health insurance it is organized, offered, and obtained.
4. Describe and discuss the economic factorsthat influence why some individuals/families would
be more likely and others would be less likely to purchase health insurance.
5. Distinguish between health insurance deductibles and coinsurance and their respective
economic effects on both the insured and the insurer.
6. Describe and discuss health insurance coverage for people under age 65.
7. Describe and discuss the economic reasons why an employer might choose to offer or not
offer health insurance to its employees.
8. Describe and discuss the different private health insurance markets.
9. Describe and discuss the determinants of private health insurance premiums.
10. Describe and discuss how health insurance markets work, including adverse selection,
preferred-risk selection, and pricing health insurance.
11. Describe and discuss the ACA’s changes to the individual health insurance market.
12. Describe and discuss the effect of the ACA on premiums in the individual health insurance
market.
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Topic #2: Managed Care
Address each of the following content items in your Paper:
1. Describe and discuss why managed care came about.
2. Describe and discuss what managed care is and is not.
3. Describe and discuss the types of managed care plans.
4. Describe and discuss the performance of managed care.
5. Describe and discuss the changes in managed care since the late 1990s.
6. Describe and discuss the importance of managed care to employers.
7. Describe and discuss the effects of managed care on hospitals and physicians.
8. Describe and discuss important recent developments in managed care.
9. Describe and discuss “accountable care organizations” and their relationship to managed care.
10. Describe and discuss “population health” and its relationship to managed care.
11. Describe and discuss “social determinants of health” and their relationship to managed care.
Topic #3: Prescription Drugs
Address each of the following content items in your Paper:
1. Describe and discuss the structure of the pharmaceutical industry.
2. Describe and discuss the main reasons for the ongoing increases in pharmaceutical
expenditures in the United States.
3. Describe and discuss the pricing practices of U.S. pharmaceutical companies and the related
impact on consumers, employers, employees, insurance companies, and health care providers
(i.e., hospitals).
4. Describe and discuss generic drug shortages and the related impact on consumers, employers,
employees, insurance companies, and health care providers (i.e., hospitals).
5. Describe and discuss the history of prescription drug regulation.
6. Describe and discuss the rationale for FDA regulation of drugs.
7. Describe and discuss the FDA’s guidelines for safety and efficacy.
8. Describe and discuss the accuracy of studies on international variations in drug prices.
9. Describe and discuss why prescription drugs are expected to be priced lower overseas.
10. Describe and discuss the development of new drugs by the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.
11. Describe and discuss the political attractiveness of price controls on prescription drugs.
12. Describe and discuss the consequences of price controls on prescription drugs.
13. Describe and discuss the rationale for considering the pharmaceutical industry a public policy
dilemma.
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Topic #4: Hospitals
Address each of the following content items in your Paper:
1. Discuss why hospitals are predominantly nonprofit.
2. Describe and discuss the performance of nonprofit and for-profit hospitals.
3. Describe and discuss tax-exempt status for nonprofit hospitals.
4. Describe and discuss the effects of managed care on health care providers.
5. Describe and discuss the origins of nonprice competition among hospitals.
6. Describe and discuss hospitals’ transition to price competition.
7. Describe and discuss hospital price competition in theory and practice.
8. Describe and discuss the theory of hospital cost shifting.
9. Describe and discuss the relationship between hospital prices and profits.
10. Describe and discuss the origins of claims of hospitals cost shifting.
11. Describe and discuss conditions under which hospital cost shifting can occur and its causality.
12. Describe and discuss price discrimination and its application to hospitals.
III. Form & Format
A. General. The Health Economics Paper shall have a title page, main body, and a reference list.
Exhibits (i.e., tables and figures) are optional. Exhibits are not required but shall be used when
appropriate. The Paper shall not be less than 15 and not more than 17 pages in length, excluding
the title page, reference list, and any exhibits. The Paper shall be prepared and uploaded through
the designated Unit SafeAssign link as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx file extension);
do not upload the Health Economics Paper in a different file format. See also Course Syllabus,
Section X.D for additional information.
B. Format and Style. The Health Economics Paper shall be prepared in the APA 7th edition format
and style, except that it shall be in the 12-point Calibri font.
C. Citation Style. The Health Economics Paper shall be cited and referenced according to the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition.
D. Scholarly Literature References. The Health Economics Paper shall have at least eight (8)
references from the scholarly literature that have been published in the last seven years. Course
textbooks are not permitted as either scholarly literature references for either the Health
Economics Paper. This means that no course textbooks may be used, including this course’s
textbook and any other. See the “Scholarly Literature Reference Help” document enclosed in
this assignment’s folder for assistance with scholarly literature references.
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IV. Identifying and Locating Journals
See the “Scholarly Literature Reference Help” document enclosed in the Unit 6 “Health Economics
Paper” folder for assistance with scholarly literature references.
V. Preparation Assistance
For assistance with preparation of your Health Economics Paper in the APA 7th edition format, browse
to TAMUCC’s Center for Academic Student Achievement at http://casa.tamucc.edu/wc.php and click
the “WC Resources” tab.
VI. Originality Assessment
The Instructor will use Blackboard’s SafeAssign Originality Report to evaluate students’ Health
Economics Paper submissions for originality. SafeAssign compares student’s submitted work against
a database of academic papers to identify areas of overlap between the submitted work and existing
works. The Originality Report will be used by the Instructor when determining the student’s graded
points for the Health Economics Paper assignment. Students enrolled at TAMUCC are accountable
for the integrity of the course work they submit to the Instructor. Consequently, students should be
familiar with University codes and policies relating to assignment submissions. When grading
students’ final submitted Health Economics Paper, the Instructor will interpret the Originality Reports
and other related information following the Student Code of Conduct and other applicable University
codes and policies.
VII. Academic Honesty and Integrity
The submitted Health Economics Paper shall observe, in all respects, TAMUCC’s policy on academic
honesty and integrity, including related policies on academic misconduct, cheating, originality,
plagiarism, multiple submissions, collusion, fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation, and
professional integrity. The Instructor will grade the Paper following the Student Code of Conduct and
other applicable University codes and policies.
VIII. File Submission and Due Date/Time
Students may submit unlimited “draft” versions of their Health Economics Paper for originality
evaluation by SafeAssign through the designated “Drafts” link in the Unit of Blackboard where the
Paper is due. Draft submissions are not graded by or retained by SafeAssign. Students are required
to submit the “final” version of their Health Economics Paper for originality evaluation using the “Final
Submission” link in the Unit of Blackboard where the Paper is due.
SUBMISSION
Assignment File Upload Location Due Date/Time
Health Economics Paper (Drafts) Unit 6: “Drafts” Link –
Health Economics Paper (Final Submission) Unit 6: “Final Submission” Link 7 March/11:59 PM
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IX. Grading Rubric
The Grading Rubric is shown on pp. 6-8.
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