A woman who was left with $60,000 in medical bills when her husband died two weeks ago described a new law banning insurance caps as an “wonderful epitaph” for him.

Theresa D’Andrea  is facing a staggering debt left when her husband, Rocky, surpassed his $250,000 lifetime cap. She says they didn’t know the difference between a lifetime and annual caps, and assumed they had adequate insurance through his employer.

Her plight was acknowledged last week by President Barack Obama, who singled her out during his health care address at the Portland Expo.

On Tuesday, D’Andrea joined Gov. John Baldacci for a ceremonial signing of the bill in Augusta. The state law goes into effect on Jan. 1.