And for the rest of Americans, they knew that coming down with any illness could mark them with that scarlet letter, where they could be unable to get affordable coverage, be trapped in a job, or even be dropped from their coverage because they got sick and have nowhere to turn. As the Vice President said in a speech to this morning, every family was one job loss or one illness away from seeing the worst of the insurance system – “There but for the grace of God.” Just consider some of these headlines – from before the health care law’s provisions took effect:

• From The Washington Post in 2009: "Acne, Pregnancy Among Disqualifying Conditions"

• From USA Today in 2007: "People Left Holding Bag When Policies Revoked"

• From The New York Times in 2004: "Cost of Benefits Cited as Factor in Slump in Jobs”

• And in 2002: "Hard Decisions for Employers as Costs Soar in Health Care"

Those headlines weren’t flukes, they were emblematic of broad, systemic problems. That’s why we put together this presentation as a reminder of what we’ve left behind now that the Affordable Care Act has come into full effect. You can also find a lot of that same information in this shareable infographic.

This was the individual insurance market before the ACA. This insecurity was a profound hindrance to the American ideal that every American can make it if they work hard. For a family that didn't have coverage, or adequate coverage, or guaranteed coverage, it was a constant worry in the back of their minds, if not an immediate source of financial strain or outright disaster. Even those who felt their health insurance was fine for years often suddenly found out it was an illusion when serious illness came to their families.

Now that is changing. No longer will health insurance be a source of perpetual doubt, no longer will those with pre-existing issues be uninsurable. If you lose coverage or lose a job that had coverage, there will be a way to access care. There is a new way for families to have peace of mind about finding care.

And again, this is not just for the previously uninsured, or even the half of Americans with pre-existing conditions – it is for every American that was one illness or one job-loss away from health coverage purgatory. Which is every American – it is you, it is me, it is our families, colleagues, friends and neighbors.

While progress is being made day by day, more and more Americans are enrolling and transitioning into new plans, it is important to remember we are moving away from a very broken system and what life was for millions of Americans before the ACA. As the Vice President said in closing his speech today, “We will not go back to the day when patients lying in a hospital bed, fighting for their lives are told that, sorry, your coverage is over. We cannot cover you anymore. We will not go back. America will not go back.

It's people like you -- or your neighbor, coworker, sister, or partner.

It's anyone who woke up on the morning of January 1st with the peace of mind, security, and quiet dignity that comes with taking your health care into your own hands.

We've been hearing from a lot of you. Your stories are powerful, and they keep coming in.

Read what 10 different Americans had to say about what being covered now means to them. Then, join them and share a story of your own.

JoAnn S., Florida

"I haven't had insurance in years and my husband had a shared insurance junk-type policy. The day I signed up on Dec 10, I actually cried when the application went through. I got my first premium notice in the mail yesterday and was never so happy to see a bill before."

Gayla W., New Hampshire

"I lost my job last April. My partner and I both have pre-existing conditions so our only option was to COBRA my employer-provided plan -- at a cost of $1,676 a month. It was a good plan, but now we have a comparable plan through the ACA for $87 a month. I can't describe just how life changing this is for us. We can afford to live again."

Stella R., California

"For me this makes all the difference between having good health or not. I recently had a CAT scan (which I had to pay out of pocket for) because I was losing a lot of weight. It turns out that something was found and now I will need to see specialists and have further procedures done to make sure it is not cancer. My first appointment is on January 6 with a specialist. If I did not have health insurance, I would not be able to see a specialist. It would wipe out any savings I have and leave me medically at high risk."

Brian F., Florida

"I have not had Insurance for over 10 years. I had a pre-existing condition that made me uninsurable -- even though I was perfectly healthy. The last quote I got was in 2008: It was $1,750 a month with a $10,000 deductible. There was no way to ever afford that. …This insurance changes everything for me. I do not have to worry anymore when I get a sore throat or an infected cut that I will have to go to the emergency room -- run up thousands in bills and then have to file bankruptcy. This is a great day. Thank you for the ACA. It is a life changer."

Elina K., Colorado

"My mom, who is 61 and works as a freelance Russian interpreter, went to the ER in November. She, her partner and myself are uninsured. Tests confirmed she had a major blockage and would need surgery. The mass appears to be cancerous and is pushing down on her internal organs. She has been in severe pain for weeks. … Last night, around 3 a.m., she was admitted to the hospital and will be having surgery which she had to put off until her ACA policy kicked in at midnight. She now has expert care in a facility that in less than 24 hours changed her medication and treated her symptoms with noticeable results. When my stepdad came home tonight, exhausted after spending all day at the hospital, all he could say was 'thank god for Obamacare' …It may well end up saving her life."

Kendra S., Oklahoma

"Just this past October, my husband was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. This devastating news was compounded by the fact we were not insured, my husband could no longer work, and the rapid medical procedures that occurred quickly ran up thousands of dollars that we don't have the money to pay. We quickly began researching the ACA, made an appointment with a local Community Care office and after many hours of research, to determine the coverage that we could afford. We are so grateful for the ACA. With the incredibly terrible stress that has befallen upon our family, at least now we know his medical expenses are covered."

Rachelle L., Florida

"My 28-year-old daughter was able to get healthcare coverage on her own for the first time through the ACA. She has a pre-existing condition, a genetic kidney disease that prevented her from getting coverage in 2009 at the age of 24 when she had to come off of our policy due to the age requirement. Her Cobra payments were $650 a month because she could not get more reasonable private coverage due to her pre-existing condition. In 2010, she was able to come back on our BCBS plan because of the ACA and was able to remain there until she finished school. We signed her up through the website and paid for her plan directly through Cigna on December 2: $298/month for a silver plan with a $0 deductible! She received her new insurance card on December 27th for coverage starting Jan 1! We now have peace of mind that all of her medical needs will be covered at a reasonable cost."

Curtis D., Washington

"Our new coverage has begun. I am 62, and my wife is 55. We are both self employed and neither of us have had coverage for the past seven years. Thankfully we are both pretty healthy, but it feels good to know we can schedule a checkup and take care of any lingering issues we've been putting off. Thank you for making improvements to the health care of the country."

Kelly M., Maryland

"I have a new plan. I haven't had insurance for years. When I applied for insurance before, I was denied for pre-existing conditions, even for plans with huge deductibles. I signed up on the Maryland Healthcare Exchange back in October, and by January 1st, I was holding an insurance card from Carefirst Blueshield and have already had my first doctor's appointment. It works. I am proof.And I'm so grateful that I can take care of myself with dignity without having to go to the ER whenever I'm sick or have to spend half of my paycheck at an urgent care center. I can do all of the preventative measures that I have been putting off, and get back on the road to health. It's a good feeling."

Kate S., Connecticut

"This healthcare reform is a life-changing event for my family. My husband and I have had to carry our own insurance for the past 25 years and, with the family insurance we had, we were paying $2,500.00 a MONTH for coverage, which we could not afford. Once the children graduated from high school, we had to take them off our policy because we could not afford it anymore. … We have never been high wage earners and the costs of our insurance have for years been an impossible burden. Now that the system is fair and goes by our income, we finally may be able to set money aside and save for our future."

Simply put, for millions of Americans: Health reform matters.

If you've got a story of your own, share it with us here.

And if you don't think stories like these ones get told enough -- then do something to change that. Pass this on.

More hardworking Americans will know the security of health care coverage in states that chose to expand Medicaid than those states that chose to recklessly and irresponsibly deny health coverage to millions of Americans. In fact, if every state expanded Medicaid coverage, over 5.4 million more Americans—and more than 1 million in Texas alone—would get health coverage. And today’s report showed that states that expanded Medicaid have seen over a 15 percent increase in applications for Medicaid and CHIP, compared to the average monthly enrollment in the three preceding months.  While states that refused to expand Medicaid only saw a 4.1 percent increase in applications.

This spike in applications confirmed what we have always known: hardworking Americans need and want the security of affordable health coverage. 

In recent weeks, President Obama and our team have worked to make the case for all states to expand Medicaid so more uninsured Americans can get covered. Right now, we know that 6 in 10 uninsured Americans will have access to coverage for $100 per month or less next year because of the health care law. But if every state followed the lead of Democratic and Republican leaders in in the 26 states that have expanded Medicaid then that number would rise to 8 in 10 Americans.

In the coming months, the President will not stop fighting to make sure we are doing everything we can to give hardworking Americans in every state access to the security of quality, affordable health care that they deserve. Today’s Medicaid enrollment report is an encouraging first sign of progress, but there is more work to do. 

This afternoon, President Obama spoke about other ways Americans are benefitting from the Affordable Care Act. Watch his full remarks below.

Earlier today, Deputy Senior Advisor David Simas sent the following message to the White House email list. Want to get messages like this one? You can sign up here.

A group of extreme Republicans in Congress have opposed the President's legislative agenda at every turn. That's no secret.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks regarding the Affordable Care Act, at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Mass., Oct. 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

Ed. Note: Earlier today, Deputy Senior Advisor David Simas sent a message to the White House email list. Didn't get it? Sign up for updates here.

Earlier today, President Obama spoke at Faneuil Hall in Boston. While Boston is home to Big Papi and my beloved Red Sox, it's also home to the birthplace of health reform in America.

The state's progressive vision of universal coverage and the conservative idea of market competition are what formed the blueprint for Obamacare: that everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care, and no one should ever go broke just because they get sick.

And we're seeing the benefits of reform extended nationally: According to a new report this week, nearly half of single, uninsured Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 can get coverage for $50 or less, often lower than the cost of their cable bill. That comes on top of the new benefits -- including free preventive services like mammograms, and a prohibition against denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Now HealthCare.gov has experienced its share of bumps in the road, to all of our frustration, but every day people are signing up and getting insurance. President Obama has said many times that he's open to making the health care law work better. If folks could leave the politics aside for a bit -- if Republicans spent as much energy trying to make the law work as they do attacking it -- we could be much further than we are today.

Last week we sat down and spoke with folks who have applied through the Marketplace, and their stories remind me why we fought so hard to pass this law in the first place.

Will you take two minutes to watch this video -- and then forward it to a friend?

If you want an example of the difference this law will make in someone's life, you don't have to look any further than Janice -- a new registrant from Selbyville, Delaware. She was the first woman to enroll in the Delaware exchange, and she says her new policy will save her $150 a month for more coverage benefits than ever before.

Or David -- a self-employed IT consultant and Air Force veteran living in Washington, D.C. David picked his plan the morning D.C.'s online health insurance marketplace opened. His previous plan was $600 a month. His new one? $250 cheaper.

That's who we're fighting for here. And while it can get lost in the fray of the 24-hour news cycle, I hope you'll keep folks like Janice and David in mind in the weeks and months ahead. It's just too important to lose sight of the big picture.

Take a couple minutes to watch Janice and David tell their stories -- and then pass it on.

Watch video of President Obama's remarks in Boston