Book Journal #4

Healthcare

The people in this book do not receive the same kind of care we do. A woman will receive care when she has a child, but after that she is sent home. They get care as children, but if something happens like they are injured or found to have something drastically wrong with them, they will basically be sent to die. The Republic makes the decision based on what they contribute to the society. In a way they have universal healthcare, but they receive such limited care that it's like they have none. 

Recently the United States adopted a system of Healthcare that is supposed to provide for everyone. It will not be fully implemented until 2014, but in the meantime the private sector is preparing itself for what's to come. Personally I have already noticed a difference. For the worst. Before 2012 my family had a great healthcare plan for a reasonable price, the amount we pay has gone up by over $1,000 a year, and the care we receive has actually gone down. This is quite worrisome considering it's bound to get worse. Many doctors will be switching to work for the private sector so they don't have to work directly under the government. This means that they will be charging more for their services, the new doctors, and the college students who want to be doctors will certainly be considering their options. 

This book is clearly a very extreme case, something that would most likely not happen in the United States, but it does make you think. Nothing will ever be perfect, someone will always be upset about one thing or another, but that does not mean changing an entire system to better "everyone" because really it is going to help a lot of people, but it is also going to make things much more difficult for others. The leaders of the Republic clearly didn't have to abide by the rules of the healthcare system the citizens did, and it is pretty similar to that of the Healthcare bill that has been passed in the United States. There are high end executives, entire companies, and groups of people (not to mention a few senators and congressmen) who are exempt from this law. I don't know about you, but this is a bit upsetting to me. If it isn't good enough for the men who made it and pushed it through to become a law, why would we think that it is good enough for the entire country.