Marcelas Owens was 11 years old when he first stepped into the spotlight. "[My mom] missed so much work that she lost her job. And along with her job, she lost her health care. And losing her health care ended up costing her her life," he said in 2010 addressing Democratic Senate leadership at a press conference. "And I wanted to finish her fight for healthcare," he declared.
Later that month a victorious Marcelas watched on as the president signed the Affordable Care Act into law.
Despite objections from House Republicans, millions of Americans logged on to new health insurance exchange sites for the first time Tuesday to enroll. Marcelas, now 14, joins Tuesday's All In to discuss the historic first day.
"So many people are going to be benefiting from this. I don't even think people realize," said Owens.
And what did Owens learn from speaking out in honor of his mother? "I learned that when you work hard with people that are dedicated as you, you can make a lot of big changes."
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Watch the full segment above