Transformations in contemporaneous capitalism and its impact on state policies: the SUS in debate

Abstract

The object/subject matter of this article is the Brazilian National Health System (UHS), understood as a state health policy crossed right at birth by strong neoliberal attack. The text is divided into two parts: the first part presents discussion on the concepts of crisis, regime of accumulation and analysis of the current situation of this regime. It also summarizes the main features of the latest changes, showing the increasing difficulties in the accumulation of capital and the attempted solution in the context of neoliberal policies and the resonance of this process in Brazil. In the second part, starting from the assumption that state health policies are formulated to support and enable the health production process, we present the concept of state policy. Next, the discussion focuses on the impacts of the crisis on health policies. It is noted that the fundamentals principles of the Brazilian SUS - universality and equality - were the most affected by neoliberal policies. Finally, the paper discusses some implications for primary health care. It also calls attention to the fact that government institutions are engendering moral non-essential actions, which act as masking mechanisms of health privatization. It also outlines some of the challenges for those who oppose resistance to the Brazilian SUS's dismantling.