WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), leader of the Senate Democrats’ #ACAworks campaign, announced that his guest to the State of the Union address will be Susie Clayton of North Canaan, CT. Ms. Clayton is a two time, 29 year breast cancer survivor who was unable to maintain health insurance before passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Ms. Clayton was first diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 31 years old. Since then, she has moved from job to job in order to find an employer that was able to provide health insurance despite her pre-existing condition. According to Ms. Clayton, “quite often I would have to take a job that ‘didn’t fit’ or stay in a job that was no longer ‘working’ just to have access to health coverage. My entire survivorship depended on my being able to maintain and afford good coverage. We were slowly losing the battle, depleting our savings, our retirement funds, just to maintain coverage. That is, until the Affordable Care Act.”

Before Ms. Clayton was able to get insurance through the Affordable Care Act, her family’s monthly premium was over $1,500 per month. The policy she was able to get through the Affordable Care Act, which provides similar coverage, is $87.44 per month, saving Ms. Clayton approximately $17,000 per year. Ms. Clayton’s annual checkups and screenings are also covered in full thanks to the Affordable Care Act.


“It’s an honor to be joined at the State of the Union this year by my friend Susie Clayton. Susie has been through hell and back to get and keep affordable health care coverage as a cancer survivor,” said Murphy. “But now, her nightmare is over and she’s on a plan that she and her family can afford, and she can be confident that her insurance company can never drop her or raise her rates just because she had cancer. Susie’s story isn’t unique – she represents millions of families who lost everything just because they had a loved one who got sick. I’m proud to be a vocal champion of the Affordable Care Act and I won’t back down from efforts to sabotage these advancements to protect and expand access to quality care.” 

Susie Clayton is one of millions of Americans who are benefitting from the Affordable Care Act. The law has provided health insurance coverage and new benefits to millions of Americans, and reduced federal health spending. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, seniors are saving billions on prescription drug costs, individuals with pre-existing conditions are no longer prevented from gaining health care coverage, preventive screenings for illnesses such as breast cancer are free for millions of Americans, and young people can stay on their parents’ health care plan until age 26.