Our Message to Every Lawmaker and Candidate: We Care and We Vote

Abraham Lincoln, among those whose legacy we honor with Presidents Day next week, might have put it this way: Thirteen score and three days from now… Americans will head to the voting booths with the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on the ballot.

That’s 263 days until Nov. 3. It may seem a long way off, but primaries in several states begin in a few weeks, and we know election year politics will have an impact on everything happening in Washington, D.C. 

It can be difficult to cut through the noise of politics and get policymakers to focus on the challenges facing our field and the people and communities we care for.

As we prepare for the 2026 midterm elections and the campaign season begins to heat up, it’s important for all health care providers to speak up, ask hard questions of candidates and evaluate their thinking on the issues that affect our field.

We’ve created a great tool to help. The AHA’s We Care, We Vote project, at wecarewevote.aha.org, encourages hospitals to get people registered to vote and turn out to vote — because that’s just good citizenship — as well as provides tools and resources that hospitals can use to engage candidates and their community. 

One of those resources are questions that hospital leaders should ask every candidate to assess their understanding of hospitals and health systems as the heart of American health care. This year with the issue of affordability in the spotlight, some of those questions include:

• When you think about making health care more affordable for patients and families, what principles guide your approach, and how would you balance reducing costs with ensuring hospitals can sustain critical services?
• Affordability in health care is influenced by many factors — insurance design, workforce pressures, drug costs, regulation and more. What areas do you see as offering the greatest opportunities to lower costs without undermining access to care?
• Hospitals and health systems continue to have concerns about the impact OBBBA will have on patient access to care in the coming years. Given that many of these patients will now turn to emergency departments when they have nowhere else to go, how will you assess these effects on the broader health care system and on patients’ ability to receive timely care? What practical steps will you support to prevent EDs from becoming overwhelmed so they can continue serving their communities effectively?

Other questions cover topics on supporting the health care workforce, protecting access to care in rural and underserved areas, and transforming care delivery. A full list of these and other questions, as well as background information on these issues, can found on the We Care, We Vote webpage. If the candidates don’t know the answers, we can help educate them!

Hospitals and health systems are facing a moment defined less by disruption and more by steady pressures. Financial constraints, workforce strain and shifting demand patterns are no longer emerging issues; they are persistent conditions shaping daily operations and long-term strategy.

More than ever, Congress needs to appreciate the challenging situations hospitals face. Uncovering solutions and sparking innovation is the conversation we need to be having with the candidates whose views on health care will shape our field for years to come.

If our entire field asks these questions and creates an echo chamber, it could educate policymakers and consumers alike. 

During this political season, whether you’re at a town hall meeting or just bump into folks running for office at the grocery store or the diner, ask these questions.

As we commemorate some of our nation’s greatest leaders on Monday, let’s recall that honest and frank dialogue between American voters and their elected officials is a tradition as old as our republic, one cherished during the times of Washington and Lincoln.

We urge you to use We Care, We Vote tools to encourage voter registration and turnout among your workforces and the communities you serve.

It's vital that we make our voices heard so that candidates will listen to us as we continue our efforts to advance health in America.