Family Voices Indiana

The House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA) would threaten Medicaid coverage and access to care for millions of people with disabilities and their families .  It would radically restructure federal Medicaid financing and effectively end the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion, reducing enrollment by 14 million people by 2026 and cutting federal spending by $834 billion over ten years. Of the 70 million people who rely on Medicaid, about 10 million have disabilities .  Medicaid provides supports that help people with disabilities remain independent in their homes and communities.  Many of them would have to get care in an institution without the home- and community-based services they receive through Medicaid.  States would likely scale back or eliminate these services, which federal law doesn’t require them to cover, to cope with the increasing loss of federal funding over time under the House bill. Medicaid Provides Crucial Services for People with Disabilities an

BY CHELSEA BURGOYNE When a child receives a behavioral diagnosis, there are often therapy programs designed to help that child manage symptoms or make progress in development. Sometimes, however, the results seen in the controlled therapy setting are not the same behaviors seen at home in “real life” settings. Therapy can (and should) be adapted to fit all environments of a child’s life. When a child is being treated for behavior management, this discrepancy between therapist and parent—or center and home— can be drastic. Oftentimes, parents are left feeling overwhelmed or discouraged that their child is regressing or not making consistent progress. Every child and diagnosis presents a different set of abilities, behaviors, and struggles, and each child responds uniquely to different techniques. For this reason, it’s not possible to provide a “one size fits all” solution to behavioral management. However, there are some things I have learned through my studies, experiences as

Contributed by Marci Wheeler, MSW  Family Voices Indiana Family Voices Indiana is a “parent to parent” organization supporting families of children and youth with special health care needs. They provide information, training and one-to-one support to families as well as the professionals who service them around Indiana. FV Indiana is part of a national network providing information and assistance to help families make informed decisions and navigate health care systems.  FV Indiana is the recipient of a federal grant to provide a Family-to-Family Health Information Center in Indiana. Free face-to-face training offered around the state as well as online training. Publishes online bulletins to inform about issues related to disabilities statewide. Information on the website is offered in both English and Spanish. Staff live in different locations around Indiana and include some whom habla espanol. Central Office 445 N. Pennsylvania Street, Suite 941 Indianapolis, IN 46204 Tol