The Mantra of Individual Responsibility – holding us back?

Heidi Selberg, Board Member Envision Greater Green Bay

Research on upward mobility shows that other western countries have greater rates of upward mobility than the United States.  This is often attributed to those countries’ policies of offering more plentiful social supports.  Further, it’s often asserted that the culture of personal responsibility and self-reliance in the United States is a significant barrier to providing the kinds of social supports present in other countries. 

A front-page article in the Sunday, October 9, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel outlines this argument through a healthcare lens.  It’s surprising to see this position outlined in a major daily newspaper–one that is the largest and considered to be the most influential newspaper in Wisconsin.  Healthcare reporter Guy Bolton and reporting intern Alexa Jurado discuss the impact of constrained resources on health. They note the difference in public support for high-tech treatments versus the cost of providing safe and stable housing, and the growing view of healthcare leaders that more needs to be done to provide social supports. Read the full article here.