HSM-301: Healthcare Policy & Regulatory Compliance provides students with a comprehensive understanding of how healthcare policy is formed, implemented, and enforced in the United States. The course begins with the historical foundations of health policy and explores the values of fairness, efficiency, and market dynamics that continue to influence today’s debates. Students will study the roles of Congress, presidents, courts, bureaucracies, and federalism in shaping healthcare regulation, with special attention to how these institutions balance competing interests.

A central focus is on Medicare and Medicaid, two of the largest federal programs, analyzed in terms of their design, evolution, and impact on both patients and healthcare organizations. Students will also investigate the roles of stakeholders, including lobbyists, professional associations, and public opinion, as well as the challenges posed by structural racism, workforce shortages, and the financialization of healthcare.

Contemporary issues such as reproductive health, vaccine policy, prescription drug regulation, veterans’ health, mental health, and homelessness are examined in both U.S. and international contexts. Comparative perspectives highlight lessons learned from other healthcare systems, giving students a global view of policy challenges and reforms.

By the end of the course, students will be able to assess healthcare policies critically, understand regulatory frameworks, and apply this knowledge to compliance and decision-making in healthcare organizations. This preparation is especially relevant for careers in health services management, public health, or policy development.