LAW 458 - Health Law and Policy

Spring Credits: 3 Stacy Kern-Scheerer

This class will give students an overview of the U.S. health care system. We will examine various legal and policy issues related to the health care system, including: the legal structure of the patient-physician relationship; how our legal system addresses issues of quality and choice; structures and mechanisms of the Affordable Care Act; Federal-State tensions regarding insurance regulation; how our legal system regulates the behavior of medical professionals and institutions; and patient privacy and confidentiality. Students will develop an understanding of the trajectory that the U.S. health care system has taken in these areas, as well as the current reforms implicating them. In addition, we will examine laws and policies that surround issues of public health, such as vaccines, obesity rates, and State-mandated screenings and data collection.

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