The book Nickel and Dimed was by Barbara Ehrenreich was a phenomenal read, it opened my eyes to the dark corners of the world that are so close yet so far from me. Throughout reading the book one thought consistently ran through my head. The book showed the idea that workplaces can pose hardships to the employees that are physical and even mental to a point. Even a often regulated happy restaurant, where the employees are only smiling, poses a threat to the workers of unseen danger. The customer over the counter would never know the hardships the employee faced only to serve them a burger, french fries and the abominable soda. .
In the recent few months the affordable health care act, also known as Obamacare passed legislation. Obamacare, providing health insurance to people who need it and are unable to pay for it. During the publication of the book if someone was injured off the job they would be facing thousands and thousands of dollars in medical bills. Today that same exact person would be insured under the Obamacare act, no longer would they not have health insurance in case a unfeasible situation arises. Now they are going to be able to receive the care they need and that they wouldn't receive years ago; " The illness or injury that must be ˜worked through,' with gritted teeth, because there's no sick pay or health insurance and the loss of one day's pay will mean no groceries for the next "(Ehrenreich 117). As Ehrenreich evaluates the situation she is well aware of the fact that health insurance isn't available. But to some people today it is still unavailable for them, there is a level of pay that you canont qualify for the health care literally if one is too poor, " In a state that has chosen not to expand Medicaid, Yvonne is in the staggering position of now making too much money to qualify for Medicaid, and too little to obtain subsidies through the Affordable Care Act " (Gupta 1).