In this course, you’ll learn about the key components of health care, and the economics behind their principles and pricing strategies. Professors Ezekiel Emanuel of Penn Medicine and Guy David of the Wharton School have designed this course to help you understand the complex structure of the health care system and health insurance. Through study and analysis of providers and insurance through an economic lens, you’ll learn how basic economic principles apply to both principles and payment methods. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify different types of health care providers and understand the dynamic between the providers and patient so you can employ best practices and maximize profit for your health care organization.



The Economics of Health Care Delivery
This course is part of The Business of Health Care Specialization


Instructors: Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD
20,964 already enrolled
Included with
(686 reviews)
Skills you'll gain
Details to know

Add to your LinkedIn profile
4 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Build your subject-matter expertise
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course
<strong>Important Program Note: </br>A revised course version is set to launch on or near July 1, 2025. If you are a student with late work, deadlines will be reset and the content will be updated.</strong></br></br>This module is designed to give you an understanding of the history and structure of the American health care system. Dr. Emanuel begins with an overview of ambulatory care providers, the history of health care reform in the United States, an examination of Medicaid and other government insurance programs, and an introduction to private health insurance. Prof. David explores the concept of the iron triangle of health care—quality, cost, and access—and the focus areas for health care policy.
What's included
9 videos1 assignment
This module introduces the economics of insurance, as well as its structure and key components. Prof. David will also examine the concepts of risk aversion and moral hazard, and the challenges of cost sharing and adverse selection.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment
In this module, Prof. David surveys the economics of health care from the physician and hospital perspectives, including the impact of incentives, supplier-induced demand, cost-shifting, and cross-subsidization. Dr. Emanuel explains provider payments to hospitals and doctors, and he examines collaborative care models offering behavioral health.
What's included
9 videos1 assignment
In this module, Prof. David surveys the economics of post-acute and hospice care and the shift toward care outside the hospital. He explains the relevance of vertical and horizontal integration, price discrimination, and price fixing to health systems. And he examines certificate of need and antitrust regulations, as well as the process for determining whether mergers violate antitrust laws. By the end of this module, you will have a deeper understanding of the health care ecosystem, and how various providers of health care affect each other within that system.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Instructors

Offered by
Explore more from Healthcare Management
- Status: Free Trial
Northeastern University
University of Pennsylvania
Northeastern University
- Status: Free Trial
Northeastern University
Why people choose Coursera for their career




Learner reviews
686 reviews
- 5 stars
80.32%
- 4 stars
17.20%
- 3 stars
2.47%
- 2 stars
0%
- 1 star
0%
Showing 3 of 686
Reviewed on Jul 20, 2022
The course covered a lot of material in easily absorbable lessons.I not only learnt a lot, I actually understaood the whys and hows.
Reviewed on May 3, 2020
Content is too general and covers too little. Lack of any in-depth analysis regarding the linkage between economics theory and the healthcare system.
Reviewed on Aug 7, 2020
This was a great overview of the healthcare sector and establishing an understanding of payment models that are not discussed in medical school. Visual aids helped to discuss and display concepts.
New to Healthcare Management? Start here.

Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
More questions
Financial aid available,