COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Local small businesses owners and residents are touting the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

President Obama signed the healthcare reform act into law one year ago Wednesday.

South Carolina Healthcare Voices Coalition celebrated the law's first birthday this afternoon.

Debbie McDaniel says she couldn't get treatment for certain conditions until the law was passed.

"Health insurers wouldn't touch me because of pre-existing conditions," she says.  "These included seasonal allergies and menopause.  The insurer spoke of the latter as if it were a condition rather than a state of womanhood."

McDaniel owns three small businesses in Columbia and says she took advantage of a tax credit to offer health insurance to her employees.

One year after the Affordable Care Act was signed do you notice a change in the nation's health care system?  Vote in our poll below and leave a comment to weigh in.