For generations, America had a not-so-secret shame: Despite living in the wealthiest nation on Earth, some 45 million of our people had no health insurance. Lots of hard work went into changing that and led to President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The ACA is by no means a perfect law, but it expanded insurance to tens of millions of people, put women’s health on equal footing with men’s and ensured no one would be denied coverage because they were already sick, to name just a few benefits.

It wasn’t an easy law to pass. Five congressional committees held dozens of meetings and considered hundreds of amendments. Members of Congress heard from their constituents at town hall meetings. The Tea Party entered the national consciousness as something besides a revolution in Boston. Eventually the House of Representatives passed health care reform (twice), the Senate passed it and the president signed it. Then the Supreme Court upheld the law, in two separate cases. The law has been debated in the public square and scrutinized by every branch of government. It is the law of the land.

Passing the ACA was a landmark victory. We should embrace it and be proud of it. And we should now be turning our focus to the crucially important issues families grapple with day in and day out: finding a good job that pays a decent wage, getting their kids a high-quality public education and ensuring safe neighborhoods.

That does not mean our work on health care is done. We need to preserve the life-saving Affordable Care Act and work to improve it. That is exactly what Hillary Clinton has proposed to do. She has already outlined several plans including expanding affordable coverage, lowering co-pays, deductibles and costs you pay out of pocket; reigning in ultra-expensive prescription-drug costs for seniors; repealing the so-called Cadillac Tax; and slowing the growth of overall health care costs.