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
Upcoming Webinars from the Field (Washington Update, September 19, 2018)
NEW National Preparedness Month: Children in Public Health Emergencies Wednesday, September 19, 1:00 pm ET Emergency Partners Information Connection (EPIC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sickle Cell Transitional Care from Childhood to Adulthood: The Role...
THE COURTS (Washington Update, September 19, 2018)
New Suit Challenges “Short-Term, Limited-Duration” Plans On September 14, several patient organizations filed suit in the D.C. Federal District Court to challenge the validity of the CMS regulation allowing the sale of “short-term, limited-duration” insurance...
THE ADMINISTRATION (Washington Update, September 19, 2018)
New Associate Head for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau The administration has announced that Michael D. Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP, will become the Associate Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Maternal and Child...
CONGRESS (Washington Update, September 19, 2018)
There is a lot of action on the Senate side of the Capitol at the moment... Senate Opioid Legislation On September 17, the Senate passed, by a vote of 99-1, legislation to address the opioid epidemic. (Senator Mike Lee, R-UT, was the “NO” vote.) The legislation was a...
MEDICAID/CHIP NEWS, INFORMATION, RESOURCES (Washington Update, September 19, 2018)
Health Coverage Matters for Children: The Role of Medicaid in the Healthy Development of America's Children (New Issue Brief from Families USA: Sept. 2018) WORTH REPEATING: Infographic: Medicaid and CYSHCN The Catalyst Center has created a one-page infographic...
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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