You look at the health care system and see a set of rules, incentives and trade-offs shaping who gets care, what it costs and how well it works. You want to understand why good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes, and how policy and economics can be used to design smarter, fairer systems. You’re drawn to evidence and analysis, but you also recognize that data alone isn’t enough. You want to understand how real decisions are made — in legislatures, health systems, insurance markets, and regulatory agencies — and how to influence them.

As a student in Health Economics and Policy, you will learn how to analyze health systems using economic reasoning and policy analysis tools. You will gain practical skills in assessing trade-offs and interpreting data to inform decisions about spending, regulation and access to care. This concentration is for students who want methods they can apply across issues—from insurance coverage and payment reform to public health policy and social programs.

As a public health professional, you envision yourself influencing decisions that shape health at scale. Whether you work in government, healthcare organizations, nonprofits or consulting, you want to speak the language of decision-makers and bring evidence to complex policy debates. Health Economics and Policy prepares you to do exactly that: understand the system, evaluate what works and help design policies that improve efficiency, equity and population health.