It's been a year since the Affordable Care Act launched in Illinois. The state says 685,000 people have taken advantage of the law -- more than expected.
That includes Keith Moons, who says his family lost insurance coverage in 2011, and wasn't able to get it back, because of unemployment and preexisting conditions.
"And I challenge anyone out there that's against the Affordable Care Act to go without healthcare for two years. And you tell me what it feels like - you tell me what it feels like to walk into an emergency room with your kid with a sickness or a sports-related injury, knowing when you walk into that emergency room, you don't have healthcare. "
While more than 200-thousand people signed up for private insurance through the so-called "marketplace" -- more than double that enrolled in Medicaid, the government healthcare program for the poor.
Illinois was one of the states that agreed to expand Medicaid to cover low-income adults without children as part of "Obamacare."
For now, the federal government is reimbursing the state for the full cost, but that ramps down over time. Republicans say Illinois won't be able to afford it should the feds stop.
Today, only people with a life-changing event -- like losing a job -- can sign up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. A new round of open enrollment begins November 15th.
