Family Voices Indiana

Want to give a gift that keeps giving this Valentine's Day? Consider a donation to Family Voices Indiana. Family Voices Indiana Did you know… ♥ 1 in 5 children are children with special health care needs? ♥ Family leaders at Family Voices are family members themselves? ♥ Family Voices provides free resources and support to families who need it? Your gift can help…… $10 ♥ a phone card for our family leaders to provide 1:1 support $25 ♥ a one hour health care financing training for families $50 ♥ a two hour health care financing training for families $75 ♥ brochures for 350  families $100 ♥ an exhibit table at a disability fair for community outreach Please help make a difference and  donate  today!  We’re also grateful to accept donations of services, volunteer hours, or other support……. Happy Valentine's Day!

Please join the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration at one of the following community meetings to learn more about the new Hoosier Care Connect program.   Hoosier Care Connect FAQs  here . Representatives from the health plans: Anthem, MDwise and Managed Health Services (MHS) will also be present to help answer your questions about their coordinated health care services. If you can't attend the meeting , there will be a webcast available as well. Valparaiso Monday, March 2, 2015 6:00 p.m.  Ivy Tech Community College Valparaiso Auditorium 3100 Ivy Tech Drive Valparaiso, IN 46383 Fort Wayne Tuesday, March 10, 2015 6:00 pm Ivy Tech Community College Northeast Coliseum Campus – McNagny Auditorium (CC1200) 3800 N. Anthony Blvd. Ft. Wayne, IN 46805 Bloomington Monday, March 16, 2015 6:00 pm Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington Hoosier Times Student Commons Room Connie and St

from NDNRC: Last month when we announced Fact Sheet #16 "Tips for ACA Enrollees: From Coverage to Care - Persons with Disabilities," we indicated that it was designed to be handed out directly to consumers for their use. Given the fact that the consumer was the end-user, the NDNRC decided that we should also make this fact sheet available in Spanish. We are excited to announce that a Spanish version of the Coverage to Care Fact Sheet is now available. Special thanks to our 2014 intern, Nataly Johanson for preparing the translation and also thanks to Oliver Vera of the Oregon Health Authority for his input. Fact Sheet #16 can be found  here  and the Spanish version can be downloaded  here . Last month, it was announced that CMS and Indiana had reached an agreement on Medicaid expansion. (Read our news story about it by  clicking here .) If you’re wondering about the details of this expansion and what it means, the Kaiser Family Foundation has released a Fact Sheet pro

Family Voices Indiana shares this action alert from AUCD( Association of University Centers on Disabilities): ACTION ALERT ESEA Reauthorization Bill Moving Fast Need to Hear from More Parents SUMMARY: As you know, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, recently released a draft bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), called the “Every Child Ready for College or Career Act of 2015.”  (thanks to those of you who responded to our previous alert and provided comments.) Senators Alexander and Murray (D-W), Ranking minority member, are negotiating changes to the bill but many do not understand the impact these changes would have on students with disabilities and they need to hear directly from their constituents. Senator Alexander’s draft bill severely weakens key measures in current law that support students with disabilities to be able to achieve to their greatest potential .  Th

Indiana Coalition of Human Services and  Indiana Association of United Ways  have partnered to offer a webinar series during the legislative session to keep you informed.  You may  register now  for the second webinar of the series which will be recorded on Tuesday, March 3 at 3:00pmET . This webinar will give more detail to bills that are moving and how we are advocating on behalf of the human service sector.   The first Legislative Update Webinar was recorded in January.   Watch the first  Legislative Update Webinar .

Parents of children with special health care needs may have difficulty finding health care plans on the Marketplace due to their child’s medical complexity.  There are now resources to help families find the most comprehensive health care coverage for their child.  Family Voices Indiana has a guide  HERE . Key Considerations When Exploring Health Care Coverage Options Parents can look at a plan’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) to get the information they need.  There is a link on the Marketplace for the SBC for all participating plans.  SBCs can be compared to determine which plan has the most extensive coverage benefits or the benefits that most closely fit their child’s needs.  There are some key areas listed below for parents to consider. Ø Network Families need to make sure that all of the child’s providers are “in-network.”  This means not just the hospital but all providers in the hospital; doctors