Think people, think...good people

Why does calling universal health care "socialism" continue to be an effective argument against guaranteeing access to care for all in the U.S? To what extent are there any really socialist health systems in place in Europe?

As Sonny pointed out in his blog, people are scared of the word - their brains immediately associate universal health care with socialism and get turned off at its notion. This reminds me of the great physiologist, psychologist and physician, Ivan Pavlov, who observed that dogs can be conditioned to elicit particular responses when exposed to a specific paired stimulus. A New Yorker article "Pavlov's Brother" illustrates how Ivan performed test runs of the identical experiment on his younger brother, Nikolai, by pairing a ringing bell with food...After a few rounds, Nikolai would drool automatically when he heard the bell, even before the sight of food...He later replaced Nikolai with a collie and the two never talked...and the article ends describing Nikolai: "Those who remembered him from this last, sad phase of his life said that he never gave the slightest hint of having played such a pivotal role in the history of science, except when the telephone rang. "

Check out the full article @ :
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/11/15/041115sh_shouts

As public health professionals, we have a great responsibility to inform the people around us of full story. We cannot let industry propaganda and rhetoric condition society to fear universal health care. Each of us has the chance to engage people in a real conversation about universal health care - I have faith that as long as we reach people and engage them on a rational level, conditioned responses tying universal health care to socialism won't play much of a factor.

And though it's an uphill battle, health is the most basic of necessities and freedoms that we can provide individuals. As Lester Breslow stated, "The new goal is not to merely minimize the risks for disease but to seek the maximum potential for living." Universal health care to all, should remain a top priority!

***"Bold As Love" by Jimi Hendrix to get you in the mood***