Folks — thirteen years ago today, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.

Thanks to this landmark legislation, millions of Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare, and no one can ever be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition. In fact, a record-breaking 16.3 million people signed up for coverage through ACA during the 2022-2023 open enrollment period — that’s huge.

Throughout my time in public service, I’ve held this belief: no one should ever have to choose between life-saving care and paying their household bills. I’ve fought for decades to make this principle a reality, including securing millions of dollars to invest in affordable health care in our district, supporting Medicaid expansion, and co-sponsoring the Inflation Reduction Act, which capped insulin at $35 per month. The ACA paved the way for these successes to be possible.

Despite the successes of the ACA, Republicans have attempted time and again to overturn this law and rip away healthcare from millions of Americans. The only reason why they haven’t been successful is because my colleagues and I, as well as countless folks nationwide, defended our healthcare each and every time.

However, the Affordable Care Act isn’t perfect — we’ve still got a long way to go to ensure that quality healthcare is available to all our people. On this thirteenth anniversary, let’s come together to reaffirm our commitment to making this vision a reality.

Team, will you sign onto my petition to pledge your dedication to expanding the ACA to all communities? To ensure healthcare is a right, not a privilege, it will take all of us standing firm in our values.

This anniversary is a reminder that we cannot remain on the sidelines while our community members are without life-saving care. Thank you for committing to fighting alongside me on this issue.

Deborah