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
For Those Assisting Victims of Hurricane Florence (September 26, 2018)
[From Health Insurance Marketplace email of 9/20/18. No URL found for this info.] Attention Assisters Who Are Helping Consumers Impacted By Hurricane Florence: Special Enrollment Period Available for Victims of 2018 Hurricane Florence On August 9, 2018, CMS released...
THE COURTS (Washington Update, September 26, 2018)
Coverage of Transgender Health Care A federal court in Minnesota has ruled that it is unlawful to deny insurance coverage for transgender health care under the Affordable Care Act and federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination. The case could have national...
THE ADMINISTRATION — IMMIGRATION (Washington Update, September 26, 2018)
Administration Issues Proposed “Public Charge” Rule For many months it has been expected that the administration would issue a rule redefining what it means to be a “public charge” for purposes of deciding which immigrants should be allowed to enter or stay in the...
CONGRESS: Opioid Legislation
Last week the Senate passed its version of an opioid bill (H.R. 6), which amended the House-passed version. The two versions now must be reconciled in a conference committee. Among the contentious issues are the extent to which Medicaid should cover treatment for...
CONGRESS: Appropriations (September 26, 2018)
As reported in the September 19 Update, the Senate last week passed the House-Senate agreement to provide FY 2019 appropriations for the Department of Defense and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The bill (H.R. 6157) was approved 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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