March 28 at Allways Health (28 credits)

50 minute discussion followed by 2 short self study exams.

Discussion topic
Why healthcare spending never goes down

Why does healthcare spending only go up despite plan design and other attempts to control spending? This lecture will introduce the Medical Industrial Complex as a key reason.

After the lecture, take the 2 exams below
You must read the texts in advance. You will not be permitted to take the exams otherwise.

• An American Sickness by Elisabeth Rosenthal, Mass course #C93469, 19 credits. Dr. Rosenthal, a former NY Times health correspondent, explores the business of healthcare billing. She shows how each patient has become an income stream to doctors and hospitals, causing them to provide as much care as possible, not as little as necessary.
•  The Quality Cure by David Cutler, Mass course #C59932, 9 credits. Cutler, a professor of economics at Harvard argues that improving medical care quality, not cutting medical care costs, offers the greatest benefit to patients. Is he right?

 Exams take about 20 minutes each after the lecture. Proctors provided. Graded immediately. You should be finished by about 11:30.