LAW 458 - Health Law and Policy

This course will provide an introduction to some of the issues that lawyers face in the diverse practice area known as “health law.” The course will cover topics such as health care regulation and financing, health insurance regulation, legal and eithical issues around reproduction and dying, and duties and responsibilites in the patient-provider relationship. Class discussion will frequently focus on problems where students will be asked to act as lawyers who advise clients on options for how to proceed, weighing legal and non-legal factors. The course will involve some transactional work and counseling, as well as assessment of the risks of liability and a bit of policy discussion. The grade will be based on class participation and either (1) two memos involving research or (2) one research paper, which would satisfy the writing requirement. Students may choose which option they prefer. The top student papers will be featured in a symposium as part of the Benjamin Rush program. Regardless of the option, students will be subject to the usual curve for classes over 30 students (assuming more than 30 in the class total). There will be no final exam or laptops.

Students can choose to have this course satisfy the writing requirement or not.