SUP-581M: Federal Health Policy Making from Legislative Specs to Regulations

This course is focused on federal health policy-making institutions and the technical and strategic issues one must consider when developing health policy.  The institutional focus will be on Congress and the Executive branch legislative and rule-making process. The Congressional institutions analyzed include the major Committees of jurisdiction, in the House and Senate, the Congressional Budget office, and the Congressional Research Service. We will also discuss the role of advocacy. In the Executive Branch we will examine the rule making process, the role of the Office of Management and Budget and the interplay between regulations, the Congress and the courts.  Case studies in health policy successes and failures will be used to examine lessons on legislative and regulatory strategies.  Examples include the battle over medicare trust fund solvency, Drug Pricing reform, the role of medicare advantage, work requirements for medicaid, Obama and Clinton health care reform efforts, the Medicare Catastrophic Act.

No prerequisites required.