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The Faces of Health Care: Mavis C.


"I have never wanted to ask anyone for anything, but when [the Affordable Care Act] made this surgery possible for me, I just had to write you a thank you letter."


In 2010, Mavis C., a minimum wage worker and mother of two, had to leave her job in tears. Standing all day at 4'11" tall, Mavis ended up injuring both knees and could no longer stay on her feet at work. She tried to take medication for the pain but it was too expensive to continue on. "I couldn't pay the cost," she wrote the President in a letter.

But thanks to the Affordable Care Act, West Virginia expanded its Medicaid program and Mavis learned that she could finally afford the coverage she needed. Having never written a letter like this before, she wanted to tell the President exactly how the ACA had changed her life: 

The letter reads: "I applied and got a card to go to the Dr. From there they sent me to a specialist and I am three weeks out of surgery, walking with a walker, trying to get through physical therapy. I know I have a long road ahead of me But I know its going to be worth it." 

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