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
Washington Update: Your Input Sought (7/11/2018)
NEW Best Practices in Guardianship @SenateAging is taking comment on best practices in guardianship through July 20, 2018, to inform a report they are producing. Email comment@aging.senate.gov. Topics include data collection, avoiding exploitation by guardians,...
Washington Update Summary: July 3, 2018
Greetings from Washington! Last week was a busy one in Congress, the courts, and the administration. The House rejected an immigration bill, and a Senate committee approved some maternal and child health bills. One federal court ordered the administration to stop...
Week of July 3, 2018: Upcoming Webinars and Calls in the Field
Leveraging Digital Tools to Treat Patients along the Continuum of Care Wednesday, July 11, 2:00-3:00 ET FierceHealthCare/Appian (one presenter is from Nemours Children’s Hospital) Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications for Policymakers and Practitioners...
The Courts: Federal Court Invalidates Approval of Kentucky Waiver to Establish Medicaid Work Requirements
The state of Kentucky requested a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to impose work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries. CMS approved the state’s request. On June 29, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia invalidated...
The Administration: Family Separations at the Border
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has custody of over 2000 children who were separated from their parents after crossing the border illegally since May. The president issued an Executive Order on June 20 to end the...
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.
Encourage confidence to act