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The Faces of Health Care: Susan T.

Summary: 
Susan T. from Quincy, Illinois recently wrote the President to say thanks for his “courage and conviction to make sure every American has access to health insurance.”

"I cried the day I was finally able to sign up for coverage. I felt like a fifty-pound weight was lifted from my shoulders."


Susan T. from Quincy, Illinois recently wrote the President to say thanks for his “courage and conviction to make sure every American has access to health insurance.”

Having worked since she was 15, Susan calls herself “lucky” for having had a successful career and healthy life for many years. As a result of her health, she didn’t put much thought into our country’s health care system.

That all changed about six years ago, however, when Susan was diagnosed with Lupus.

When she decided to start her own company in February 2011 with her business partner, she gave up a substantial salary from her previous job. She didn’t realize, however, that she was also giving up the opportunity to have health insurance, as she would later be denied almost any chance at health coverage because of her Lupus diagnosis.

“I cannot tell you the sinking feeling I had that at any moment, everything I worked for my entire life could be gone due to a serious illness or injury,” she writes.

But thanks to the Affordable Care Act, she could no longer be denied coverage just because of a pre-existing condition.

“I finally had good coverage, better than I had expected…I’m not sure I have ever had a more peaceful night’s sleep,” she writes. “This is the definition of a hand up, not a hand out.”

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