Economics 120 - Social Security and Health Care

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

Looming as significant, long-term policy questions in the United States are Social Security and health care financing. Today these topics share the stage in a national debate about the role of government in a market economy, and both policy areas have been cited as financial crises. This course is designed to apply dispassionate economic analysis to an often confusing debate and to explode the myths and highlight the undeniable realities. For Social Security, the class investigates the purpose and history of the program, its current functions, and its micro and macro effects on the economy. Students consider Social Security's financial outlook and to what extent it presents a crisis, and evaluate proposed solutions. For health care, the class examines health care markets, insurance, and the arguments for government intervention; how Medicare and Medicaid work and their roles in the escalation of national health care expenditures; and competing proposals to restructure federal health policy. In both Social Security and health care, international comparisons are used to shed light on the U.S. situation.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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