like betsy from lynchfield, connecticut. she said without the affordable care act she would not have health insurance at all due to her preexisting condition. one month before the a.c.a. was implemented, she was sick with stage four cancer and her insurance company gave her two weeks notice that it was going to end her coverage early. luckily, betsy was able to resolve that issue but she says -- quote -- the bottom line is that before the affordable care act, health insurance companies could and did kick sick people off their insurance rolls and preexisting conditions let many uninsured indefinitely. she says if you're not insured and have to pay the outrageous costs of u.s. health care out of pocket, you will quickly spend down all of your retirement savings and possibly have to sell your house to boot. this was the situation i was facing in december, 2013, and it was an unsettling prospect. for linda from winstead, connecticut, who says she is grateful for her affordable care act because she has multiple chronic illnesses