
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-Related News
Continuing Resolution Update – March 2025
As March 14 approaches, Congress is faced with a deadline to agree on a budget or pass another continuing resolution to keep the government running. On March 7, House Speaker Johnson introduced a continuing resolution to continue government funding through the...
Enmiendas a la exención 1115 – Marzo de 2025
Arizona – Las enmiendas propuestas por Arizona para la exención 1115 incluyen requisitos adicionales en los reportes laborales, límites de tiempo para la cobertura de Medicaid y copagos para usos no urgentes de ambulancia o del departamento de emergencias (ED). Los...
Medicaid 1115 Waiver Updates for March 2025
Arizona – Arizona’s proposed 1115 waiver amendments include adding work reporting requirements, time limits to Medicaid coverage, and co-payments for non-emergency uses of ambulance transport or the emergency department (ED). Work reporting requirements would apply to...
Understanding Medicaid Proposed Changes: Key Terms & Phrases
It is important to understand the various Medicaid terms that are being used and how they may impact state Medicaid implementation. The guide below defines commonly used terms and phrases and how changes could affect children and youth with special care needs in the...
Policy Talking Points: Vaccine Confidence
Background The prevalence of autism is estimated to be 1 in 36 children, based on monitoring by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Increases in the observed prevalence of autism over the past several...
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.