Health Economics of Cancer

Choose any health related topic and analyze it from an economic perspective using the concepts we have used throughout the quarter. The goal of this analysis is for you to take a topic of interest to you personally and/or professionally and expand your knowledge of it from an economic perspective Topic to choose from: 1. Cancer 2. Multiple sclerosis 3. Asthma 4. Celiac disease 5. Arthritis 6. Thyroid 7. Blood Sugar 8. Breast cancer 9. Diabetes/Obesity 10. Cardiovascular (heart) 11. COPD 12. Stroke 13. Alzheimer 14. Pneumonia 15. Kidney disease 16. Autism 17. Avian Influenza 18. Epilepsy 19. Hepatitis 20. HIV/AIDS 21. HPV 22. Meningitis 23. Brain Injury 24. Tuberculosis 25. Alcoholism and Drug Abuse 26. PTSD 27. Immobility The following questions are to guide you in writing: 1.Where do consumers get information about the price and characteristics of the product/service? How much uncertainty is associated with the information about price and associated quality of the good/service? 2.Who specifically is on the demand side of your market and what are their characteristics? 3.What type of price elasticity and income elasticity does your product or service have? (inelastic/elastic and necessity/luxury/inferior) 4.What other goods/services if any influence demand in your market? Identify main substitutes and main complements 5.Who are the suppliers in your market, what are their characteristics? (large/small, local/regional/nation/international, profit/not-for-profit/government) 6.What is the extent and nature of the competition in your market? (intense competition with multiple competitors or does it have some monopoly-like qualities?) 7.Are there essential inputs in the production/delivery or your product/service? Are these essential inputs easily available? If not, why? 8.Any Regulation and Taxation that affect your market? 9.Are there any Government – sponsored Programs in your market? 10.What is the impact of government activity in your market in terms of efficiency? 11.Does the government improve efficiency by helping with a market failure (information asymmetry, monopoly) or reduce efficiency (but help with equity, tax revenue etc.)? 12.What demographic changes do you predict in the demand relevant to your industry? 13.What general technology change do you predict may impact your industry? 14.What other significant changes do you predict might happen in the future decade -in the political and economic environment relevant to your industry - with regard to (a) demand and pricing; (b) supply and market structure?