Health Economics

I was interested in better understanding the complex issues regarding healthcare reform. This book fullfilled this role and provided me with a clear understanding of the overall healthcare economy. The author does an excellent job integrating published economic research into a thorough unbiased summary of healthcare economics. The book provides numerous references. I recommend this book to all. A prior understanding of basic microeconomics is desirable but not necessary for understanding this book.

This textbook is a wonderfully written introduction to health care economics. It takes complex issues and presents them in a somewhat simplified manner while not losing the quality of the information.

The coverage of this book is as comprehensive as there is no need to hold any similar book describing the health economics on the whole. The pollicy description is mainly US focused and less stress has been put on the international perspective. Nonetheless, Phelps' Health economics is for me the first to take into hand when preparing slights, talks or just looking for simple answer. Ales Tichopad (CEEOR - Central and Eastern Europe Outcomes Research)

I am completing my final semester in the Economics Department at the University of Rochester. Looking back over all of the books that I have read as an undergraduate student, this book ranks among the top three (including books from other disciplines). Dr. Phelps offers a balanced perspective on a broad selection of health-related issues. Furthermore, he constantly backs up his analysis with insightful studies and statistics. Regardless of the quality of your professor, after reading this book, you will feel knowledgeable (from an economic perspective and more) about the issues facing our health care system (and to a certain extent, even those of other countries).

Having spent almost 10 years teaching health economics, I've read and used quite a few of the texts books that are around. Phelps' "Health Economics" is quite simply the best I've read bar none.Its coverage is as comprehensive as one would want in a book of this type covering the standard demand, supply and policy issues as well as looking at specific aspects of the health economy such as medical malpractice. It is written largely from a US perspective but is by no means insular.What I found particularly commendable in this book was its style and structure. Many books cover much of the material that is covered here but none in a fashion that is as readable, articulate or clear. Appendices are used to deal with technical issues (and deal with them in a way most students with a basic knowledge of economics will actually work through) while examples are used to provide an intuition that is often absent from other texts.I cannot recommend the book highly enough for teaching at an undergraduate level or non-specialist postgrad level. I also recommend it as a good read for those working in the area of health economics. Quite simply a cracking book.