The Affordable Care Act was signed two years ago and has provided millions nationwide with expanded access to key health benefits. In particular, the act ensures young people entering the workforce or changing jobs will be covered by allowing them to stay on their parent’s plan until the age of 26.

Young people are traditionally the most likely to be uninsured, and in 2009 they were the highest percentage of any age group to be without health insurance. As I, and many of you, anticipate graduation this spring, I know that I can remain on my parent’s health insurance until age 26 if my ideal job prospects don’t pan out.

Furthermore, I know I can take a position with fewer benefits to gain the experience needed to qualify for a better job in the future.

Unfortunately, I was one of those who developed a medical condition that still affects me today. The condition developed two years ago and forced me to take a semester off from school. I spent a lot of that time bedridden and slowly recovering. During that time, the only thing that kept me going was the knowledge I could keep trying different medications until I overcame the illness. Finally, I started getting better and only the after-effects are still with me today.

Knowing how this illness came so suddenly, it is a relief to know that when I graduate and continue my career, I will still be able to remain on my parent’s health care insurance, so I can continue with my hopes and dreams that I thought were gone when the illness began. I can continue to do what I thought was impossible during that semester off as I continue to train for the Ironman in Madison next September. It is through Obama’s Affordable Care Act that I am reassured I can continue to pursue my aspirations.

However, I know I am not alone with this reassurance; today there are an additional 2.5 million young people with health coverage. In Wisconsin alone, more than 27,000 young adults have gained insurance through staying on their parent’s plan.

The law also means no one can be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions; from cancer to diabetes, you can no longer be denied healthcare coverage based on a pre-existing condition. In Wisconsin, this has provided health care to more than 1,000 people who were previously uninsurable.

While many Wisconsin families previously faced bankruptcy in deciding to pay for health care, rent or food, health care reform today is allowing more people to stay on their feet while getting the health care they need to stay healthy.

For students and other young adults, health care reform means we have health insurance, despite the countless other changes we will inevitably experience following graduation. This health care policy has changed my life for the better. Now is not the time to take away something that has helped so many.

Steve Hughes ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science. He is a youth ambassador for Organizing America-Wisconsin and the founder of the Young Progressives.