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Today, speaking from the Catholic Health Association's annual assembly in Washington, D.C., President Obama outlined the state of health care in America, now that the Affordable Care Act has become part of the fabric of our health care system. In it, he told the story of Debra Lea Oren of Palmer, Pennsylvania. Debra, who suffers from osteoarthritis so severe it put her in a wheelchair, couldn't walk or stand for years. She was in constant pain.
Today, she's back on her feet. Here's why:
Debra was able to enroll in an affordable health plan that covered the surgery she needed to help her walk on her own again. As a result, she can walk to the grocery store. She can cook and exercise. She can get herself to her doctors' appointments on her own two feet (and two new knees).
This is what health reform has meant to millions of Americans.