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 and CHIP News, Information, and Resources (Washington Update, October 31, 2018)
As reported earlier, the president has signed into law the bipartisan “SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act” (H.R. 6). This blog post explains how the Medicaid provisions in the new law will help children. How Would Medicaid Provisions of New Law to Address Opioid...
Affordable Care Act (Washington Update, October 31, 2018)
Open Enrollment – See the end of this Update for resources to help assisters and consumers. REMEMBER: 2019 Open Enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, 2018. Important message from HHS regarding Find Local Help Assisters are encouraged to ensure their listings on...
TRICARE (Washington Update, October 31, 2018)
TRICARE Open Season runs from November 12 through December 10. ECHO Benefit Year Changes to Calendar Year (10/17/18) Prepare for TRICARE Open Season: Compare TRICARE Plan Costs with Cost Comparison Tool (10/19/18) Compare 2019 FEDVIP Dental, Vision Plans Ahead of...
Other News, Information, and Resources (Washington Update, October 31, 2018)
FDA Asks For Comments on Labeling Sesame Ingredients in Foods The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a “Request for Information” requesting input from the public about whether it should require that sesame be listed as an ingredient on food labels to help...
Your Input Sought/Announcements/Of Possible Interest (Washington Update, October 31, 2018)
YOUR INPUT SOUGHT Nominations Sought for Federal Family Caregiving Advisory Council – due Dec. 3 The Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) has posted a Notice requesting nominations for individuals to serve on the Family Caregiving Advisory Council, which was...
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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