Financialization of Healthcare

Over the past few decades, scholars have raised concerns about greed and the development of a “medical-industrial complex.” There are increased costs of medications, greater role of private firms, and adoption of corporate structures within health facilities. Today, we are witnessing a deeper entrenchment of market logics. Financialization – the dominance of financial logics, institutions, and actors – has entered the health sector. This change includes a shift in control from actors in healthcare to those in finance as well as a resulting shift in organizational logics such as emphasizing short-term profit maximization or shareholder conceptions of control. This course will examine how financialization in healthcare operates as well as its implications for healthcare practices and experiences in the US and globally.