Abstract
This article retakes the critical thinking of the political economy developed in the 1980s in the public health discussion, aiming to understand its theoretical contributions and to discuss them in contemporary capitalism, mainly to highlight the limitations of universal public health establishment from the perspective of the State and the predominant vision within it, considering the reduction of social rights. We supported our article with concepts from some classic authors in the field of political economy of health, such as Sonia Fleury Teixeira, Jaime Oliveira, José Carlos de Souza Braga e Sérgio Goes de Paula. The return to this critical thinking contributes to the emergence of questions about the scenario for Brazilian public health in the context of contemporary changes. These reflections broaden perspectives to critical reflections on the hegemonic economic and social thought in contemporary capitalism and on the present and future of health as a right in Brazil.
Keywords:
Critical Thought; Political Economy; Public Health; Health Reform Movement