ECO 499 · Spring 2026

Archived syllabus. Policies, dates, assignments, and readings reflect Spring 2026.

Course information

ECO 499-001: Seminar in Economics - Health Economics University of Kentucky - Spring Semester 2026 Credits: 3.0 Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday, 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (Eastern Time) Meeting Location: Business and Economics Building, Room 233

Instructor Information

Instructor

Professor Aaron Yelowitz Office: 225H Business and Economics Building Email: aaron@uky.edu (Use Canvas Inbox for course-related communication; typical response time: 24 hours.) Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday, 1:30-2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time), and by appointment (in person or via Zoom; email to schedule)

Course Description

(Official Catalog Description) Readings, research and discussion in a seminar format to illuminate problems of historical and contemporary interest in areas of special faculty competence. May be repeated to a maximum of nine credits, but may not be repeated under the same subtitle. Will be limited to a maximum of 15 students. This course is a Graduation Composition and Communication Requirement (GCCR) course in certain programs, and hence is not likely to be eligible for automatic transfer credit to UK.

Course Prerequisites

ECO 391, ECO 401, ECO 403, and ECO 402 or equivalent.

Required Materials and Technology

Textbook

None.

Readings

Peer-reviewed journal articles and selected policy papers. All readings will be available on Canvas or via UK Libraries links. Technology: Students must have regular access to Canvas and a computer capable of running Respondus LockDown Browser with Monitor ("Respondus"). Lecture Recordings (Echo360): Class meetings will be recorded using Echo360. Recordings are a supplement, not a substitute for attendance. Students are warned that audio and video quality—particularly for whiteboard work—may be inconsistent.

Associated Course Fees

This course has an additional fee of $37.02 per credit hour.

Student Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

• Identify key institutional features of the U.S. health care system.
• Explain how health care and health insurance markets differ from standard competitive markets.
• Critically evaluate empirical strategies used in applied health economics.
• Assess whether empirical findings are consistent with economic theory.
• Assess whether health care policy proposals will have the intended consequences.
• Integrate economic theory and empirical evidence in a research paper that meets professional standards of written communication.

Activities, Assignments, Exams, and Grading Scheme

A grading curve will be applied. Historically, approximately 30% of students earn an A, 50% earn a B, and 20% earn a C or lower.

Note on Weighting (Canvas): Regardless of points assigned within Canvas, each tutorial counts equally toward the 10% tutorial component and each quiz counts equally toward the 15% quiz component. Canvas aggregate totals do not reflect the actual weighting scheme.

Extra Credit: Extra credit may be offered sporadically based on in-person participation. It is truly "extra" and will not affect the grading scale. If offered, it will be added only at the end of the semester after the grading scale is determined.

Mechanics of Submissions

All submissions occur via Canvas.

• Tutorials: Open-book/open-note; untimed; unlimited attempts during the open window.
• Quizzes, Midterm Exam, Final Exam: Timed, closed-book/closed-note, and administered via Canvas using Respondus.
• Term Paper: Uploaded to Canvas by the deadline stated below.
• Excused absences: With documentation, alternative arrangements will be made if a deadline is missed.
• Unexcused absences: Late work is not accepted.
• There is no assigned homework; practice problems may be provided to support exam preparation.
• If Respondus-proctored exams are infeasible for your situation, contact the instructor early to discuss alternatives.

Summary Description of Course Assignments

Tutorials (10%)

• Open-book/open-note; untimed; unlimited attempts during the open window.
• Tutorials are assigned on Fridays and due the following Friday; any exceptions will be announced in advance on Canvas.

Quizzes (15%)

• At least 5 quizzes during the semester.
• Closed-book/closed-note; timed; administered on Canvas using Respondus.
• Each quiz is available for a full 24-hour window on the assigned day (ET).
• Quiz dates are announced in advance on Canvas.
• Academic integrity rule: do not discuss quiz questions with others until reviewed in class.

Midterm Exam (25%)

• Closed-book/closed-note; timed; administered on Canvas using Respondus.

• Midterm window: Monday, March 9, 2026 (ET).

• Window opens 12:00 a.m. ET and closes 11:59 p.m. ET.

• There is no in-person class meeting that day.

Term Paper (25%)

• Original research paper in health economics.
• Assigned: Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
• Due: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, by 4:00 p.m. ET (upload to Canvas).
• Late submissions are not accepted unless the absence is officially excused and documented.
• Detailed instructions, format requirements, and evaluation criteria will be provided on Canvas.

Final Exam (25%)

• Closed-book/closed-note; timed; administered on Canvas using Respondus.
• Final exam window: Wednesday, May 6, 2026 (ET).
• Window opens 12:00 a.m. ET and closes 11:59 p.m. ET.
• There is no in-person final exam.

Technology Checks (Required)

• Ungraded practice quizzes (simple questions to test setup) will be required before the first quiz, the midterm, and the final. These do not count toward grades.

Policy on Grade Return

• Tutorials: Immediate feedback upon submission.
• Quizzes and exams: Grades are posted within one week after the assessment window closes; any exceptions will be announced on Canvas.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy - Level 2: Conditional Use

Students may use generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot) as a supplement to their own effort, but only within clear guidelines. Acceptable uses include brainstorming ideas, creating outlines, and checking grammar on a completed draft. Use of AI for generating substantial portions of final text is not permitted. You must clearly acknowledge any use of AI in your submissions by adding a note describing what tool was used and how. If the AI provides specific text, analysis, or data that you incorporate, you must cite it as you would any source. You are responsible for verifying the correctness of all AI-generated content. Any use of AI that is not disclosed or exceeds permitted uses will be considered academic misconduct. AI tools are not permitted during Respondus-proctored quizzes or exams.

Students can sign up for the no-cost web versions of tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, and every @uky.edu account includes Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (available at m365.cloud.microsoft/chat).

Attendance, Late Work, and Excused Absences

• Attendance: Strongly encouraged but not graded directly. This seminar relies on discussion; academic papers are substantially easier to understand with in-class input.
• Late Work: No unexcused late work is accepted.
• Excused Absences: Require documentation (medical documentation, official university notice, university-sanctioned event documentation, or similar verifiable evidence).
• Religious Holidays: Students observing major religious holidays must provide written notice during the first week of class.

Important Dates and Holidays

(Spring 2026)

• First day of class: Monday, January 12, 2026
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no class): Monday, January 19, 2026
• Midterm exam (24-hour window): Monday, March 9, 2026
• Term paper assigned: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
• Spring Break (no class meetings): March 16-21, 2026
• Term paper due (Canvas upload by 4:00 p.m. ET): Wednesday, April 8, 2026
• Prep Days: April 27-29, 2026 (no new tutorials or quizzes will be assigned)
• Final exam (24-hour window): Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Weather-Related Closures, Delays, and Technology Disruptions

Weather-related cancellations or delays apply to in-person class meetings and do not alter Canvas deadlines for tutorials, quizzes, or exams unless explicitly announced. If individual internet outages or system-wide technology disruptions occur (e.g., Canvas outages), reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure students are not academically disadvantaged. Any adjustments will be communicated via Canvas.

Final Exam Details

The registrar-assigned exam slot for the MW 11:00 a.m. meeting pattern is Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (ET). There is no in-person exam at that time. The final exam is administered online via Canvas using Respondus and is available for a full 24-hour period on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 (ET).

Midterm Grades

Midterm grades will be posted in myUK by the deadline established in the Academic Calendar.

Academic Policies and Resources

Academic policy statements: https://www.uky.edu/academicombud/academic-policystatements (updated link) Academic offenses (including cheating, plagiarism, falsification/misuse of academic records): https://www.uky.edu/academicombud/academic-offenses-cheating-plagiarism-andfalsification-or-misuse-academic-records (updated link) Student Success resources: https://studentsuccess.uky.edu/ Emergency preparedness: https://police.uky.edu/emergency-preparedness (updated link)

Course Structure and Readings

Readings listed below; sequencing and pacing will be posted on Canvas. The course rotates between concepts/theory and empirical/applications; any deviations will be announced in advance.

Overview of the U.S. Health Care System

• Gruber, Jonathan. 2005. Public Finance and Public Policy. "Health Insurance I: Health Economics and Private Health Insurance," Chapter 15.
• Gruber, Jonathan. 2005. Public Finance and Public Policy. "Health Insurance II: Medicare, Medicaid, and Health Care Reform," Chapter 16.
• Garber, Alan M., and Jonathan Skinner. 2008. "Is American Health Care Uniquely Inefficient?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 22(4): 27-50.

Economics of Insurance Markets

• Gruber, Jonathan. 2005. Public Finance and Public Policy. "Social Insurance: The New Function of Government," Chapter 12.
• Cutler, David M., and Sarah J. Reber. 1998. "Paying for Health Insurance: The Trade-Off between Competition and Adverse Selection." Quarterly Journal of Economics 113(2): 433- 466.
• Buchmueller, Thomas C., and John DiNardo. 2002. "Did Community Rating Induce an Adverse Selection Death Spiral? Evidence from New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut." American Economic Review 92(1): 280-294.

Behavioral Economics and Insurance Choice

• Handel, Benjamin R. 2013. "Adverse Selection and Inertia in Health Insurance Markets: When Nudging Hurts." American Economic Review 103(7): 2643-2682.

• Marton, James, Aaron Yelowitz, and Jeffery C. Talbert. 2017. "Medicaid Program Choice, Inertia and Adverse Selection." Journal of Health Economics 56: 292-316.

• Handel, Benjamin, and Jonathan Kolstad. 2015. "Getting the Most from Marketplaces: Smart Policies on Health Insurance Choice." Hamilton Project Policy Brief, Brookings Institution.
• Handel, Benjamin R., and Joshua Schwartzstein. 2018. "Frictions or Mental Gaps: What's Behind the Information We (Don't) Use and When Do We Care?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 32(1): 155-178.

Health Insurance Reforms

• Courtemanche, Charles, James Marton, Benjamin Ukert, Aaron Yelowitz, and Daniela Zapata. 2017. "Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Health Insurance Coverage in Medicaid Expansion and Non-Expansion States." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 36(1): 178-210.
• Courtemanche, Charles, James Marton, Benjamin Ukert, Aaron Yelowitz, and Daniela Zapata. 2018. "Early Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Care Access, Risky Health Behaviors, and Self-Assessed Health." Southern Economic Journal 84(3): 660-691.
• Finkelstein, Amy, Sarah Taubman, Bill Wright, Mira Bernstein, Jonathan Gruber, Joseph Newhouse, Heidi Allen, Katherine Baicker, and the Oregon Health Study Group. 2012. "The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment: Evidence from the First Year." Quarterly Journal of Economics 127(3): 1057-1106.

Other Topics: Lifestyle, COVID-19, and Disparities

• Gertler, Paul, and Tadeja Gracner. 2022. "The Sweet Life: The Long-Term Effects of a Sugar- Rich Early Childhood." NBER Working Paper No. 30799.
• Allcott, Hunt, Luca Braghieri, Sarah Eichmeyer, and Matthew Gentzkow. 2020. "The Welfare Effects of Social Media." American Economic Review 110(3): 629-676.
• Evans, William N., Ethan M. J. Lieber, and Patrick Power. 2019. "How the Reformulation of OxyContin Ignited the Heroin Epidemic." Review of Economics and Statistics 101(1): 1-15.
• Courtemanche, Charles, Joseph Garuccio, Anh Le, Joshua Pinkston, and Aaron Yelowitz. 2020. "Strong Social Distancing Measures in the United States Reduced the COVID-19 Growth Rate." Health Affairs 39(7): 1237-1246.
• Benitez, Joshua A., Charles Courtemanche, and Aaron Yelowitz. 2020. "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19: Evidence from Six Large Cities." Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy 3(4): 243-261.
• Alsan, Marcella, and Marianne Wanamaker. 2018. "Tuskegee and the Health of Black Men." Quarterly Journal of Economics 133(1): 407-455.
• Alsan, Marcella, Owen Garrick, and Grant Graziani. 2019. "Does Diversity Matter for Health? Experimental Evidence from Oakland." American Economic Review 109(12): 4071-4111.

Syllabus Change Notice

This syllabus is subject to change with reasonable notice. Any changes will be communicated via Canvas.