Thomas G. Koch's HomepageEcon 155, Insurance Economics: Winter 2008Syllabus SlidesQuiz Links
As the semester progresses, this web page will updated with information, news and links to outside readings. News and LinksExam 2 Grade DistributionsCumulative and density. No Office Hours on March 6thI will not be holding office hours on Thursday, March 6th. Final Three LecturesThe final three lectures will cover the following topics: Property Insurance (March 6), Bankruptcy and Wealth Redistribution (March 11th) and Review (March 13th). This is a minor adjustment to the syllabus. Writing AssignmentThe writing assignment can come in two flavors: either a discussion of an insurance industry, or an analysis of a policy proposal regarding insurance. For the former, a paper should include (a) a brief discussion of what is being insured, (b) a determination of the extent of market failure, and (c) the potential sources of market failure particular to this market. The best papers of this kind will mix knowledge of the market with sound economic analysis using the concepts developed in class. Analysis of a policy proposal requires (a) an explanation of the proposal, (b) the market failure it proposes to resolve, and (c) an evaluation of its ability to achieve its goals. Exam 1 Grade DistributionThe grade distribution for the first exam can be found as a pdf here, and as a cdf here. Readings for Medical Insurance SlidesThe lecture on the Uninsured for Medical Care uses data and analysis available from a Kaiser Family Foundation report on the uninsured. It is available here. On Thursday, we will discuss Medicare and Medicaid. The paper on Medicaid crowd-out can be found here. The graph of expected future Medicare costs is taken from the Medicare Trustees 2007 report, available here (WARNING: LINKS TO .PDF). Reading for second classMichael Lewis`s ``In Nature`s Casino" can be found here. |
|
|