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HE Unit Template
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Public Health Economics
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HEAPH7003 - Public Health Economics
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20250200
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Course
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Unit
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3.2
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2026-09-10
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2026-09-10
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Public Health
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Institute of Health and Wellbeing
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Public Health
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Postgraduate - Coursework
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30
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.25
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061399
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Public Health, n.e.c.
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061399 - Public Health, n.e.c.
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<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/heaph7003">View unit fees</a>
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Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
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9
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Intermediate
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<p>This unit will build technical and theoretical foundations of health economics i.e. the demand for and supply of health services, factors that influence these, and equity issues in resource allocation and will encourage students to apply these to wider policy making. It will also increase students ability to use economic tools in the evaluation of disease burden, (DALYs and QALYs), analysis for health care in terms of efficiency and equity. Students will also learn contemporary issues such as estimating expenditure on public health, “best buys” in public health, and the role of economic tools such as price subsidisation and commodity taxation in public health. It will also provide analytical framework for assessment of the health care systems of Australian and OECD countries from an economic perspective.</p>
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<p>Introduction to health economics. Models of demand for health and health care. Socio-economic disparities in health. Supply of health care e.g. physicians, pharmaceuticals and hospitals. Market economics and ‘best buy’ in health. The economics of health externalities. Economic epidemiology, elasticity of health. Social and financial risk protection and equity in health. Types of economic evaluation: cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and cost effectiveness analysis (CEA). Cost utility analysis e.g. Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) or Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) to measure the impact of health interventions in terms of health, Health expenditure and resource allocation in both developing and developed country perspectives.</p>
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<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
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Year
2027
Current Year
2026
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HEAPH7003 - Public Health Economics
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HEAPH7003 - Public Health Economics
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Semester
Semester 1
Semester 2
Summer Semester
Year
2027
2026
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Overview
Key information
Requisites
Learning outcomes
Assessment
Parent Region
Overview
Unit description
<p>This unit will build technical and theoretical foundations of health economics i.e. the demand for and supply of health services, factors that influence these, and equity issues in resource allocation and will encourage students to apply these to wider policy making. It will also increase students ability to use economic tools in the evaluation of disease burden, (DALYs and QALYs), analysis for health care in terms of efficiency and equity. Students will also learn contemporary issues such as estimating expenditure on public health, “best buys” in public health, and the role of economic tools such as price subsidisation and commodity taxation in public health. It will also provide analytical framework for assessment of the health care systems of Australian and OECD countries from an economic perspective.</p>
Unit content
<p>Introduction to health economics. Models of demand for health and health care. Socio-economic disparities in health. Supply of health care e.g. physicians, pharmaceuticals and hospitals. Market economics and ‘best buy’ in health. The economics of health externalities. Economic epidemiology, elasticity of health. Social and financial risk protection and equity in health. Types of economic evaluation: cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and cost effectiveness analysis (CEA). Cost utility analysis e.g. Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) or Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) to measure the impact of health interventions in terms of health, Health expenditure and resource allocation in both developing and developed country perspectives.</p>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Discipline:
Public Health
Study level:
Postgraduate - Coursework
Credit points:
30
EFTSL:
0.25
Field of education:
061399 - Public Health, n.e.c.
Offering:
<p><strong>Semester 1</strong><p>Berwick (On Campus)</p></p>
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/heaph7003">View unit fees</a>
Requisites
Prerequisite
<p> must have completed all of <a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEALT6001" target="_blank">HEALT6001</a>/<a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEALT6002" target="_blank">HEALT6002</a>/<a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEALT7002" target="_blank">HEALT7002</a>/<a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEAPH6003" target="_blank">HEAPH6003</a>/<a href="/ords/r/curriculum/catalogue/course?p6_code=HEAPH6004" target="_blank">HEAPH6004</a></p>
Corequisite
None
Exclusion
None
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
<p>On successful completion of this unit, students are expected to gain the following [K]nowledge, [S]kills and [A]pplication of knowledge & skills</p>
Learning Outcomes
Ref
Outcome
K1
<p>Understand basic microeconomic concepts and their application to the health sector;</p>
K2
<p>Understand role, limitations and usefulness of economic evaluation of disease burden in both developing and developed country context;</p>
K3
<p>Explain resource allocation and public health expenditure estimation strategies.</p>
S1
<p>Analyse the demand and supply of health services, factors that influence these, and equity issues in resource allocation;</p>
S2
<p>Apply the principles of economic evaluation in assessing burden of diseases that are of national interest.</p>
S3
<p>Analyse the economic principles that underpin health care financing and expenditure decisions by the government</p>
A1
<p>Demonstrate ability to apply principles of health economics for decision making in health care funding such as universal health care, Medicare, pharmaceutical benefit scheme.</p>
A2
<p>Apply conceptual and methodological issues arising in the economic appraisal of health care programs</p>
A3
<p>Ability to estimate the expenditure on public health, “best buys” in public health.</p>
Assessment
Learning Tasks and Assessment
Ref
Learning task
Assessment type
Weighting
Learning outcomes assessed
1
<p>Structured quiz</p>
<p>Online quiz</p>
<p>10% - 30%</p>
K1, K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3
2
<p>Written task: Analysis of healthcare system of a chosen country to establish interdependent relationship between economics, health care and public health</p>
<p>Critical Analysis Essay</p>
<p>30% -50%</p>
K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3
3
<p>Prepare a project concept note on the economic evaluation of a public health intervention in a chosen country</p>
<p>Group presentation (3-4 students in each group)</p>
<p>40% - 60%</p>
K1, K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3
Supplementary assessment available:
Yes
Supplementary assessment information:
<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Health and Wellbeing
Discipline:
Public Health
Study level:
Postgraduate - Coursework
Credit points:
30
EFTSL:
0.25
Field of education:
061399 - Public Health, n.e.c.
Offering:
<p><strong>Semester 1</strong><p>Berwick (On Campus)</p></p>
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/heaph7003">View unit fees</a>
Additional information
Add Info Static Text
Internal reference: HEAPH7003 - U3.2