HSH763 - Financing Health Care
| Year: | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 3: Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Prerequisite: | HSH717 or MPE781 |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Study commitment | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
| Scheduled learning activities - online | Students have the option to: |
Content
How societies pay for health care and how many resources are devoted to health and health care can affect individual access to health care; and impact on both health inequalities and population health. As a policy instrument, health financing is about raising sufficient funds in a fair and equitable way; pooling financial resources across population groups to minimise the impact of illness; and creating a legislative framework to support an equitable and efficient use of public funds. This subject will explore alternative mechanisms for financing health care, including collecting revenue, pooling funds, purchasing services from providers and the role of the prevailing policy framework.
Broadly there are two approaches to health care financing: (i) government financed systems and (ii) market-based systems. However, in contemporary health systems this distinction is blurred with market-based incentives influencing predominantly government financed healthcare; output-based funding for hospitals and pay-for-performance (P4P) models are examples of this. Insurance, whether universal or private, provides a further layer of complexity.
Any payment system is affected by how the incentives underlying payment, including the existence of insurance, influence individual behaviour; and in health care funding incentives influence the behaviour of both consumers and providers. We will analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different financing and policy options from an economic perspective. The subject will draw on both Australian and international examples of healthcare financing policy.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.