7691. Health Care Financing

This course reviews the legal and regulatory framework governing health insurance in the United States, including individual health insurance, employer health benefits, Medicare, Medicaid and other government-based plans. The course considers the interplay between state and federal regulation, with a particular focus on the impact of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The course will trace the evolution of health coverage from traditional indemnity insurance through managed care and toward newer models of health optimization, examining the economic and clinical drivers of these models and well as the regulatory and judicial actions that both enabled and challenged these changes. The future of health coverage in light of clinical, scientific, demographic changes, as well as evolving consumer needs and preferences, will also be considered.