Most people don’t think about health policy until it affects them personally. That moment might come when a larger-than-expected medical bill arrives, a doctor is suddenly no longer in-network, a prescription becomes too expensive to fill, or hours are spent trying to renew a child’s Medicaid coverage.

Those experiences often begin long before someone walks into a doctor’s office or pharmacy. They are shaped by decisions made by elected leaders about how health care is funded, regulated, and delivered.