One of the biggest plagues of modern society is the individualization of
risk.  What this refers to is the taking of collective responsibility for
health and placing it on the individual.  This leads to weakening of
communal concern for each other and the belief that its every person for
themselves.  It manifests itself in the obsessive focus on lifestyle
choices and individual risk factors as determinants of health and the
weakening of communal structures such as education, health care services,
and other features of the modern welfare state. It also leads to a belief
that "There is no such thing as society."

The flip side of this is the commodification of necessary services.  This
is the extent to which communal structures such as national and regional
health care systems are put on the same plane as buying TVs or cars.  They
become commodities.  Not only is health care made into a commodity, other
necessities such as housing, transportation, resources for healthy child
development such as chilcare soon follow suit or have already become
comodified.

Why is this a problem?  It magnifies inequalities, promotes societal
dissolution, and leads to poor population health. Having people spend a few
dollars for after hours healthcare may seem reasonable at first, but it is
a first wedge in the destruction of a great benefit to society.

See: Coburn, D. (2002).  Beyond the income inequality hypothesis: class,
neo-liberalism, and health inequalities
Social Science and Medicine Volume: 58, Issue: 1, January, 2004, pp. 41-56
in which he states:

"Decommodification refers to the degree to which citizens have an
alternative to complete dependence on the labour market (or working for
money), in order to have an acceptable standard of living"  (O'Connor &
Olsen,1998 ).

O'Connor,J. S.,& Olsen,G. M. (Eds.) (1998).  Power resources theory and the
welfare state: A critical approach. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press.

-------------------
Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask]

To subscribe to the SDOH list, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SUBSCRIBE SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname

To post a message to all 1040 subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask]
Include in the Subject, its content, and location and date, if relevant.

To unsubscribe, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SIGNOFF SDOH

For a list of SDOH members, send a request to [log in to unmask]

To receive messages only once a day, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SET SDOH DIGEST

To view the SDOH archives, go to: http://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html