On Friday, I was at the White House for a general policy briefing, and it coincided with the 2nd anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Movement of the ACA through Congress was a tumultuous experience for me, as I was a fan of a public option and I cared deeply about getting this bill passed. Wile not perfect, it did pass, and the country is better off for it. The legislation has lowered the deficit, and brought more people under protection of insurance than ever before.

Now that the last year has unfolded and the Republican’s strategy for our country has been made more clear, their resistance to the ACA is even easier to understand. On one level, it was about blocking the Obama’s top priority, but more importantly, the ACA heLps the poor and the middle class and doesn’t do enough to feed the coffers of the rich.

For me personally, the most important part of the ACA is the requirement to cover pre-existing conditions. I have a chronic lung problem, and this creates an obstacle for me if I were to lose my job or try otherwise need to get different insurance. Connected, is the protection against being dropped from your insurance if you get very sick. I work extremely hard to manage my condition so that I don’t get worse, but you never know what is going to happen.

To me, the ACA is one step towards creating a society where everyone is cared for in a way that doesn’t overcharge some and uses money, people, and resources in the most effective way. To me, that is a worthwhile goal,and we, as a society must keep moving step by step closer to that goal.

But the opponents are on overdrive spreading the lies and rumors about the ACA. The best solution for combatting the lies and misinformation, is for real people to talk about the reality of the ACA, and how it impacts them.