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
Congress (Washington Update, February 14, 2019)
Autism CARES Act On February 8, the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (CARES) Act (S. 427; H.R. 1058) was introduced in the Senate by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Mike Enzi (R-WY). Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Mike...
Medicaid News and Resources (Washington Update, February 14, 2019)
Medicaid Waivers Utah GOP Shrinks Medicaid Expansion, Defying Voters The Republican governor signed a bill curbing Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, months after voters approved the program. (Politico, 02/11/2019). REMINDER: Approved and pending Medicaid waiver...
TRICARE (Washington Update, February 14, 2019)
Final Rule on Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) On February 13, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a final rule (PDF) about the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), which was created to enhance and improve DoD support around the world for military...
Other News, Information, and Resources (Washington Update, February 14, 2019)
Federal Poverty Guidelines The Federal Register Notice for the 2019 Poverty Guidelines was published February 1, 2019, although guidelines were effective as of January 11, 2019. For the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, the guidelines are below:...
Announcement, Your Input Sought, Of Possible Interest (Washington Update, February 14, 2019)
ANNOUNCEMENT The HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) has announced that the Youth Health Equity Model of Practice (YHEMOP) Summer 2019 Health Equity Fellow Application is now available. Through its YHEMOP program, OMH places students enrolled in higher education...
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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