The American way of approaching health through an individualistic, biomedical paradigm leads to the overemphasizing of clinical perspectives and obscures the social, political, and economic determinants of health, such as poverty. Eric Reinhart refers to this idea as āclinicismā in his new article āMoney as Medicine,ā published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Reinhart highlights the significant positive impact that cash transfers and expanded child tax credits had during the COVID-19 pandemic in reducing poverty. This result supports the argument that expanding these programs can have great potential in fighting against mental and physical health needs. He argues for addressing the interwoven facets of health, safety, and economic policy and writes:
āMany studies have shown that cash-transfer programs lead to substantial reductions in homicide, assault, intimate partner violence, property crimes, recidivism, and overdose deaths. And a growing body of research demonstrates that such programs can generate major health gains, mental health improvements (sometimes greater than those achieved by professional mental health services), substantial reductions in both childhood and adult mortality and education benefits.ā
You've landed on a MIA journalism article that is funded by MIA supporters. To read the full article, sign up as a MIA Supporter. All active donors get full access to all MIA content, and free passes to all Mad in America events. Current MIA supporters can log in below.(If you can't afford to support MIA in this way, email us at [email protected] and we will provide you with access to all donor-supported content.)
