This course provides students with an overview of the US Health Care system. We start by discussing the development of the US health system, how it is currently organized and the challenges faced in California and in the greater US. We focus on describing how the major providers and funders of health care work together, where problems or gaps arise, how previous attempts to improve coverage and access to health care have worked, and how the new health care reforms are likely to change the way health care is delivered and financed. In doing so, we review the different approaches for providing health care as seen in other countries, the challenges that these countries face and how these health care systems compare to the US system.  Some of the key issues we will discuss are:

• Why the current US system is actually four different systems in one;
• How the structure of the US health system contributes to increased health disparities;
• Why the US system of care costs so much when compared to the rest of the world;
• How the quality of care in the US compares to other health systems;
• What is meant by ‘moral hazard’ and ‘adverse selection,’ and why these concepts are so important for health reform.