Family Voices Indiana

Each month, Family Voices Indiana provides the families we serve with a summary of our hottest Facebook posts. If you missed us on  Facebook , here is the latest! Awareness: January 20: International Day of Acceptance. T his  day  of celebration and advocacy was created by the people at 3E Love in order to achieve social acceptance of disability. January 23: Ed Roberts Day. Ed  Roberts  is considered the father of the Independent Living Movement. Birth Defects Prevention Month. (We’re not really fans of that terminology.)  You can learn more  here  because we certainly want to promote healthy babies. National Volunteer Blood Donor Month. Above all other times of the year, January is the month that presents the most challenges in recruiting people to give blood. You can find a location here:  http://www.redcrossblood.org/ Family Voices: Check out our Family Voices Staff Spotlights! This month’s page featured specialists Kerry Bonney and Ofelia Jimenez. Facebook f

by Emily McKinley, health information specialist for Family Voices Indiana The provisions of the Affordable Care Act have largely unfolded. Yet, there is a controversial measure that has states deciding their future health, both fiscally and in regards to their population’s physical wellness. That measure is the contentious issue of Medicaid Expansion. Initially, many conservative governors sharply opposed the ACA provision that called for states to expand Medicaid programs to serve individuals and families whose income sits at or below 133% (138%, when 5% of an applicant’s income is deducted, as is policy) federal poverty levels. In fact, the issue of the expansion and the federal dollars attached to it were subject to scrutiny by the US Supreme Court, which found that states may choose whether they will expand their Medicaid programs. That said, the federal government also has the ability to withhold Medicaid funding, which was allocated to support the expansion, from s