Barbara Ehrenreich Nickel And Dimed Analysis

Over many decades America has been coined, “The land of opportunities,” where everyone person lives behind a white picket fence, has 2.5 kids and a golden retriever in their yard. These have been ideal images painted in not only the minds of its citizens’, but also the minds of rest the world. The world is supposed to believe that America is the place where dreams come true, where jobs positions are unlimited, and you will be earn enough to “have it all.” Regrettably, the way we perceive America is quite far from the truth. According to Barbara Ehrenreich and her experiences told in Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, she faced the hardships of trying to survive on minimum wage. Ehrenreich is a well-educated woman who went undercover …show more content…
That totals to 46.7 million people (https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/). This correlates with a new problem across the board of how to get medical coverage, enough food, and housing for those who have recently lost their jobs, money, and homes. Programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) have dramatically improved over the past few decades. The Recovery Act that was established in 2009 with the purpose of creating jobs and saving existing ones. This policy also set forth short-term relief programs associated with education, health, and extensions for unemployment benefits, tax incentives, and welfare programs (http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/02-22-ARRA.pdf). SNAP could have benefitted Ehrenreich and many individuals that she has encountered throughout her travels for this project. Ehrenreich spoke frequently in her book about how she was forced to eat numerous amounts of fast food. The reason being, one, it was cheap, two, it filled her up and three, she didn’t have access to a kitchen where she was staying. SNAP would be more beneficial to those who have access to kitchens and other appliances. This was shown when Ehrenreich obtained a job at Wal-Mart. She had services in relation to food, but not the services for adequate housing. This program was established to help families afford food to eat, in …show more content…
On one occasion Barbara had a skin irritation that she had to obtain ointment from her physician back in Florida, it was also expensive and without her old medical coverage she would have not been able to get it. Not only did she have problems with her skin, but also many jobs required a strenuous amount standing, lifting, and moving around. Thus, Ehrenreich encountered back problems, stress, and overall discomfort after long hours. Not only did she face physical hardships, but mental hardships. Those included her fear of not having medical coverage and majority of the places she worked, or if she did obtain medical coverage through her job it would take months to kick in (e.g., Hearthside). Holly from the Maids is a prime example of what many individuals go through. She fell on the job and hurt her ankle. Holly refused to seek medical help because she could not miss a day of work. Often people in the same predicament have to choose to go to work injured, miss work and cannot get food, or chose between paying for medical or paying the bills.
The creation and enforcement of the Affordable Care Act situations such as Barbara’s’ and Holly’s’ will change in terms of health insurance. There is now a requirement for everyone to have health insurance, which will lead to more individuals receiving the help they desperately need. The major component is that they will be reasonably priced so people do seek

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