HL 300 - Comparative Healthcare Systems and Policies in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States

Health care is a priority and source of concern worldwide. Every country irrespective of its private, public or mixed health care system faces similar challenges with regard to quality, delivery and cost of services. This course examines both global health issues and health systems from a comparative perspective.

The first part of the course will introduce global health themes, including international health organizations, right to health, and major international health issues, such as HIV/AIDS and women’s and children’s health. The structure and function of health care systems will be defined and explored. The basic tools and conceptual frameworks needed to analyze a health system such as the role of government, goal-setting and judging performance, and allocation of resources prepares students for the second part of the course, which focuses on select health care systems in Britain, Europe and the US. The structure and functioning of their health care systems will be reviewed in detail. The course will explore country-level debates on issues such as access to care and funding. It will also highlight how a country’s history has influenced the development of its health system to reach its present day functioning. One class session is devoted to Jamaica as an example of health care in a developing country, to prepare students for their extended field study.