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
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...
Greetings from Washington (Washington Update, October 25, 2018)
The Senate has joined the House in a pre-election recess. Both chambers will return to DC on November 13. Meanwhile, the administration has been very active in the health care sphere. During the past two weeks, the administration appointed a new head of the Center...
Upcoming Webinars and Calls (Washington Update, October 25, 2018)
NEW SERIES 2019 Assister Readiness Webinars, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). To receive invitations to the live webinars and notifications when new material is posted, email ASSISTERLISTSERV@cms.hhs.gov with “Add to listserv” as the...
The Administration (Washington Update, October 25, 2018)
New administrator for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services The Trump administration has appointed Mary Mayhew to be the new head of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS), which is within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (administered by...
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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