Discussions
1) Economies around the world are becoming increasingly globalized. How does this globalization affect the choices you face in your economic decisions? Do the effects change if you think of yourself as a consumer or as a producer? Use the economic principles from this module to discuss whether consumers and producers are hurt or helped by this globalization?
2) As our healthcare system in the U.S. has grown and evolved over the past century, more private for-profit healthcare organizations have developed, which have limited access to care, may provide care to only a special population group, or may segregate consumers based on their ability to pay for services or other identified criteria (Claesson, 2010). The concepts of quality, cost, and access to care are three of the key criteria that consumers use to choose their healthcare providers and types of healthcare facilities. As healthcare insurance coverage expands under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, how will this increased ability to pay for services influence these three areas?