SEIU registered nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers took the lead in promoting the ACA by educating our communities about its benefits. We also fought to protect against repeal efforts that would leave millions without coverage. 27 million Americans gained health insurance through the ACA, with access to quality, affordable coverage. Americans with pre-existing conditions, like high blood pressure or asthma, gained protections against insurers charging them more or denying coverage altogether. It eliminated lifetime and annual coverage limits and banned discrimination against women by insurers. Parents were allowed to keep their children on their health insurance plans up to age 26. It eliminated the Medicare “donut hole,” saving senior citizens thousands of dollars on prescription drugs. Insurers were required to cover 10 “Essential Benefits,” including prescription drugs, maternity care, emergency care, and mental health and substance abuse treatment. (Under the Trump Administration, so called “junk insurance” plans have been allowed, which are not required to cover these essentials.) Obamacare has also slowed the rise of healthcare costs by promoting preventive care.