The Economics of Health and Health Care

The Economics of Health and Health Care is the market-leading health economics textbook, providing comprehensive coverage of all the key topics, and balancing economic theory, empirical evidence, and public policy.

The ninth edition offers updated material throughout, including two new chapters: Disparities in Health and Health Care (Chapter 7) examines issues of race, ethnicity, income, gender, and geography with respect to health care access, health inputs, and health outcomes; Pandemic Economics (Chapter 9) introduces a new and simplified economic treatment of epidemics and pandemics within the context of COVID-19. We also include applications from the growing literature on digital medicine. The book further highlights the impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and updates its path-breaking comparative analyses across countries to focus on the differences in access and costs.

The book continues to provide a clear, step-by-step understanding of health economics, making economic principles accessible to students, supported by boxed examples, figures and tables. Each chapter contains concise summaries, discussion questions, and quantitative exercises to promote student learning. There is also a glossary of key terms and an extensive reference list.  Instructors are supported by a range of digital supplements. It is the perfect textbook for students and practitioners taking undergraduate and postgraduate courses in health economics, health policy, and public health.