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
Medicaid News, Information, and Resources (Washington Update, April 3, 2019)
New Guidance on HCBS Settings Rule As explained in a March 22 press release, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued updated guidance to State Medicaid Directors on implementation of the 2014 Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) regulation....
TRICARE News (Washington Update, April 3, 2019)
From the TRICARE Benefits Updates: Your Environment and Your Body: How Exposure to Mold and Lead May Impact Your Health (4/1/19) Who You See for Care Matters: TRICARE Provider Types (3/29/29) Bring Your Tricare Benefit Questions to April 4 Webinar (3/26/29) – See...
Other News, Information, and Resources (Washington Update, April 3, 2019)
From the Agencies: From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) - A new mobile app for smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers to help patients prepare for medical visits. The AHRQ Question Builder app - available at no charge from iTunes and Google...
Your Input Sought/Of Possible Interest (Washington Update, April 3, 2019)
YOUR INPUT SOUGHT Survey to Improve Caregiver Hospital Experience The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is analyzing the hospital visitor experience. If you are someone in the United States that has either visited a loved one in a hospital OR identifies as a...
Webinars from the Field (Washington Update, March 14, 2019)
Identifying and Serving Children with Health Complexity: Spotlight on Pediatric Care Together Thursday, March 14, 1:30-2:30 pm ET Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health The webinar will be a discussion about the report, Identifying and Serving Children with...
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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