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, May 8, 2020
Once again, Congress is developing legislation to address the health and economic consequences of the coronavirus. States and their Medicaid programs are in financial binds, but it could be weeks before something is passed. CMS released an updated set of Medicaid...
Washington Update, April 10, 2020
Once again, the policy world is all about the coronavirus – what laws and regulatory changes are needed to help individuals, health care providers, states, and businesses in this novel and extremely challenging environment. Keep reading for news and resources.
Washington Update, March 27, 2020
It won’t be a surprise that this issue of the Update is devoted to the coronavirus pandemic. As of this writing, two federal coronavirus-related bills have been enacted, and a third is (hopefully) close to enactment. It is expected that there will be more legislation...
Washington Update, March 13, 2020
Greetings from Washington, DC! This issue of the Update is devoted in large part to coronavirus-related policy and information, including information about insurance coverage for testing and treatment for COVID-19, the illness that results from the virus. Top line...
Washington Update, March 5, 2020
In the Update this week: The Supreme Court has decided that it will hear oral arguments in the ACA case during next year’s term, which begins in October 2020. A decision is not likely to be rendered until the following spring. The novel coronavirus of 2019 is taking...
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.
Encourage confidence to act