My name is Darlene, and I’m a real estate broker from Valrico. My husband and I are both self-employed small business owners, and I’m here today to tell you my Obamacare success story.

Before the ACA, we always had health insurance, but because we were shopping on our own, all we could only afford a high deductible medical major plan, for which we literally paid thousands of dollars for year, just hoping to avoid bankruptcy if one of our family members had a catastrophic illness. So, despite making a significant investment in health insurance every month, we never filed even one claim, because the deductible and out of pocket expense left it practically useless.

We couldn’t afford to use our insurance we were paying for, even when our then teen-son broke his arm, twice, in the same year. Both times we paid out of savings for the X-rays and for the orthopedist to set his arm. The second break was more complicated, and the orthopedist recommended surgery, but we just couldn’t afford the deductible plus the out of pocket expenses without dipping into college and retirement savings. We were forced to gamble with our son’s health, and were very fortunate that it healed without any lasting complications.

Despite being under-insured, we always made sure our kids received their well care visits, and their pediatrician knew our situation and was great about helping with samples and generic meds when they needed prescriptions. But like a lot of parents who were relatively healthy, our own health needs just weren’t a priority; so after my son was born, I went over 21 years without seeing a doctor, until a routine eye appointment about a year ago sent me on a journey that was only possible because of the ACA.

We always wanted access to better insurance and signed up for the ACA as soon as it was available, but I still hadn’t gotten around to using it until my optometrist recommended I consult a opthamologist after noticing the optic nerve in my left eye appeared abnormal. His exact quote was, "your left orbital nerve appears to be implolding".

That required a visit to a primary care physician for a referral, and she insisted I finally receive the testing and preventative care I’d been putting off for years.

Because of this, in the last year I have been diagnosed with glaucoma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes, and last June, at age 57, I received my first mammogram that ultimately required a biopsy. I’m relived and grateful to report that the result was benign, but I will need to be monitored more closely for breast cancer going forward.

Since my diagnosis, I've acquired an impressive list of medications, made some lifestyle changes, and with the help of a great physician, my most recent lab results indicate that all my health issues are either considered controlled or within the normal range. My doctor called yesterday to say, “don’t change a thing”.

When I expressed some guilt to her over my condition, she assured me that it was mostly just age and genetics catching up with me. But the combination of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes is a silent killer for women my age, and if I’d continued with these conditions, undiagnosed and untreated, my chances of heart attack or stroke were significantly higher. B

Because of the ACA, I am probably healthiest I’ve been in the last decade, and if we can hang on to Medicare, when I reach age 65, I will be a lot less costly to the system because of the treatment and preventative care afforded to us by the ACA. So, I am here today to tell you that the ACA not only works, it has vastly improved my life!

The worst thing about what I’ve been through the last year has been the uncertainty of not knowing if I would be able to keep the health care and access to my doctor and the medications that will keep me healthy.

I’ve also learned that life is a pre-existing condition, and health care for all is worth fighting for.