Why Voting Matters to the Patient Community

Sep 22, 2026 | Advocacy, Policy Infusion

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

When you live with a chronic or complex condition, healthcare policy can become personal very quickly.

A new insurance requirement can affect when you receive treatment. A change in coverage can affect what you pay. A prior authorization or step therapy policy can influence how quickly you can access the therapy your healthcare provider recommends.

Many of the rules surrounding healthcare are shaped by people who hold elected office.

That is one reason elections are relevant to patients and caregivers. Voting gives you an opportunity to participate in choosing the federal, state, and local officials who will make decisions about healthcare and many other issues during their terms in office.

This edition of Policy Infusion breaks down where healthcare and elections intersect and provides resources to help you prepare for the 2026 election.

The Infusion Access Foundation is a nonpartisan organization. It does not endorse candidates or political parties or tell patients how to vote. This resource is intended to help patients and caregivers access election information and make their own informed decisions.

Start Here: Get Vote Ready

You do not have to be an election expert to prepare to vote.

The Infusion Access Foundation’s Get Out the Vote Center puts important information in one place so you can:

  • Check your voter registration
  • Preview the candidates and races on your ballot
  • Find your current elected officials
  • Review voting dates and deadlines

How Can an Election Affect My Healthcare?

Not every healthcare decision is made by the same branch or level of government.

Depending on the issue, decisions affecting patients may come from Congress, state legislatures, governors, federal or state agencies, or other public officials.

For infusion and injection patients, those decisions can touch issues such as:

  • Access to treatment, including policies related to prior authorization and step therapy
  • Affordability, including prescription drug costs, copay assistance, and insurance coverage
  • Where you receive care, including policies affecting access to infusion centers and other treatment settings
  • Public health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid

At the Infusion Access Foundation, we work throughout the year to bring the patient perspective into these conversations. Patients do that too when they share their stories, contact elected officials, participate in advocacy campaigns, or speak about barriers they have encountered.

Voting is another form of civic participation.

Why the Whole Ballot Matters

Healthcare decisions are made at multiple levels of government, which is why it is worth looking beyond the highest-profile race on your ballot.

In 2026, all 435 U.S. House seats and 35 U.S. Senate seats are up for election. At the state level, voters in 46 states will elect 6,139 state legislators across 88 legislative chambers, and 36 gubernatorial elections will also take place.

These officials can influence different parts of healthcare, from Medicare and prescription drug policy at the federal level to Medicaid, insurance requirements, prior authorization, step therapy, copay assistance, state budgets, and healthcare agencies closer to home.

Your ballot may also include local offices, judges, ballot measures, and other decisions. Before you vote, understand your entire ballot so you know what choices you will be asked to make.

A Six-Vote Reminder

It is easy to look at an election involving hundreds of thousands of ballots and wonder whether an individual vote makes much difference. Consider one example.

After a recount in all 24 counties of Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in 2020, the state certified a final result of 196,964 votes to 196,958 votes.

The difference was just 6 votes.

Close elections like this are unusual, but they illustrate something simple: every ballot becomes part of the final result.

And the decisions elected officials make are not limited to the issues being discussed during an election. During a term in office, policymakers may confront new treatments, changing insurance practices, emerging healthcare challenges, economic conditions, and other issues that could not have been anticipated on Election Day.

Your Election Day Checklist

Preparing ahead of time can make voting easier.

1. Check your registration

Confirm that you are registered to vote and that your name and address are current.

2. Preview your ballot

Find out which federal, state, and local races will appear on your ballot. Then take time to learn about the candidates and their stated positions using sources such as candidate websites, nonpartisan voter resources, and local news coverage.

3. Learn your voting options

Voting procedures differ by state. Check your state’s rules for registration deadlines, early voting, voting by mail, identification requirements, and Election Day polling locations.

4. Make your plan

Decide when, where, and how you intend to vote before Election Day arrives.

The federal general election is November 3, 2026, but registration deadlines and available voting methods vary by state.

Let the Infusion Access Foundation Help You Prepare

You already have plenty to navigate as a patient or caregiver. Finding basic election information should not have to be another complicated task.

The Infusion Access Foundation’s Get Out the Vote Center can help you:

  • Confirm your voter registration
  • Explore the races and candidates on your ballot
  • Identify your current elected officials
  • Find important election deadlines

You can also share the resource with family members, caregivers, friends, and others who want to prepare for November 3.

Your Experience Belongs in the Conversation

Patients understand parts of the healthcare system that cannot always be captured in a policy brief or spreadsheet.

You know what a treatment delay can mean in real life. You know what happens when an insurance requirement stands between you and your prescribed therapy. You know how the cost, location, and availability of care can affect your health, your family, and your daily routine.

Patient advocacy is about making sure those experiences are represented in healthcare policy conversations.

Whether you share your story, contact an elected official, participate in an advocacy campaign, or cast a ballot, there are many ways to make your voice part of the process.