Public Policy
Policy Priorities to Support Children with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities and Their Families
Our Strategic Policy Priorities
Children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities, and their families, face systemic barriers and biases that impede their ability to experience their best possible lives. Systems of care do not respond to their needs holistically or facilitate access to supports that enhance their quality of life.
To make the most impact, we focus our policy actions across all levels of government – federal, state, and local. We work with our family and organizational partners to lean on the various levers of policy change through education and advocacy.
Our current policy agenda includes:
- Expand access to peer-to-peer support for families of children and youth with special health care needs
- Support and expand Medicaid coverage for children and youth with special health care needs and their families and caregivers
- Improve the transition to adult health care for youth and young adults with disabilities and their caregivers and families
- Eliminate language access barriers
Family Voices collaborates with national child health and disability organizations, such as the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, The Arc, Autism Speaks, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other groups.
Recent Policy Briefs
Recent Policy-Related News
Washington Update December 8, 2021
Government shutdown - averted! A continuing resolution passed in both the House and Senate last week extending funding of existing government programs until February 18, 2022. Now, what to do about the debt ceiling? There has been some discussion of including it in...
Washington Update December 1, 2021
This week’s Washington Update will begin by quoting some news article titles circulating about what is going on as Congress returns from Thanksgiving Holiday: “Congress kicks off year-end legislative Blitz” Welcome to “the December Pileup!” Get ready for “Friday’s...
Washington Update November 17, 2021
On Monday, November 15, President Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. So where, you ask, do things stand with the Build Back Better reconciliation bill? Word on the street is that the House plans to vote on Build Back Better this week. The...
Washington Update November 10, 2021
Much negotiation continues on the details of the reconciliation bill. Last week saw several things being added to or taken away from the framework. Paid Medical leave is back in! Although it is only for 4 weeks total (initial proposal was 12 weeks), it is back in...
Washington Update November 3, 2021
We have a framework! Last week the White House released the Build Back Better framework for reconciliation. Notably, the framework includes an invitation to share how the Build Back Better plan will affect CYSHCN and families. Take a look at it, and scroll to the...
Legislation
The legislation tracked below is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be an endorsement for or against the legislation. Action updates may occur daily, if actions are taken by Congress. Newly introduced legislation will be added weekly.
The legislative tracker is sorted by latest action. To navigate this page, you can scroll through just as you would a normal webpage. You can also click Ctrl+F on your keyboard and type in the search box.
For additional information and to read the full text (if available), click the highlighted bill number. You can also navigate to Congress.gov and search using key terms or phrases, or the bill numbers listed below.
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