Health Economics combines current economic theory, recent research, and health policy problems into a comprehensive overview of the field. After serving as Provost of the University of Rochester, author Charles E. Phelps has thoroughly updated his classic and widely used text.

Accessible and intuitive, early chapters develop essential methodological foundations using recent empirical studies as support. Later chapters build on these core concepts to focus on key policy areas, such as the structure and effects of Medicare reform, insurance plans, and new technologies in the healthcare community.

In the Fourth Edition, a new focus on lifestyle choices—such as alcohol consumption, obesity, and tobacco use—explores how individual choices affect everyday health and the healthcare system at large. The latest theoretical developments, Medicaid and SCHIP, insurance plans, new technologies, international comparative studies, and policy updates are integrated where appropriate.