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
Additional Special Enrollment Period Available for Victims of 2018 Hurricane Michael (from CMS) (Washington Update, January 9, 2019)
Note: This message is intended for Georgia and Florida assisters only The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing additional opportunities to enroll in Federally-facilitated Exchange (FFE) coverage for certain individuals affected by Hurricane...
Congress (Washington Update, January 9, 2019)
The New Congress The 116th Congress of the United States convened on January 3, 2019, and will exist for two years–divided into the first and second “sessions.” It is the most racially and ethnically diverse Congress in history, and the most female. Among the new...
The Courts (Washington Update, January 9, 2019)
Update on Texas v. Azar -- Challenge to the ACA As reported in the last Update, in December a federal district court held that the entire ACA is unconstitutional in Texas v. Azar (also known as Texas v. United States), a case brought by the attorneys-general in 20...
Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA News, Information, and Resources (Washington Update, January 9, 2019)
Managed Care Comments Due on January 14 As reported earlier, and explained in the “Your Input Sought” section below, the administration issued a proposed rule on Medicaid/CHIP managed care on November 14. Comments are due on January 14. See Proposed Changes to...
TRICARE (Washington Update, January 9, 2019)
New to TRICARE? The Basics You Need to Know Jan. 3, 2019 Calendar Year Costs for TRICARE Resets Jan. 1 Dec. 18, 2018 TRICARE implemented in 2018 include changing cost limits from a fiscal-year cycle to a calendar-year cycle. Therefore, annual catastrophic caps and...
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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