A handful of advocacy groups and state politicians came together at the state Capitol Thursday to express their support of the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.

The non-profit Protect Your Care organized the rally as a response to recent news that some Georgia leaders have tried to stall the implementation of the ACA in the state. Enrollment will open October 1.

Many of the speakers urged Governor Nathan Deal to reconsider his decision not to expand Medicaid coverage in Georgia. Deal has said the expansion would cost too much money. The Governor also opted not to set up a state-run insurance exchange.

Keisha Kuma, of Snellville, spoke to the participants about how Obamacare will protect her family in the future. Kuma has three children and had worried about her ability to get insurance after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2010.

“I didn’t lose my house. I didn’t lose my savings. I didn’t lose my car. I wasn’t the mother that was a burden to her husband and her children simply because I had MS,” Kuma shared. “Did I lose all those things then? No, because I had great insurance. Shouldn’t we all have great insurance? But what I could lose without ObamaCare is, I could lose that insurance because what the insurance companies have done is they’ve branded me. I now have a scarlett letter ‘P’ on all my insurance records. I have a pre-existing condition.”

Kuma said the Affordable Care Act ensures that an insurance company cannot refuse to cover her because of her medical history.

“You can’t ignore me. You can’t tell me that I don’t matter,” she told the group.

Tags: Medicaid, expansion, insurance, medical, state Capitol, Governor Nathan Deal, Affordable Care Act, obamacare, legislator, ACA, coverage, exhange