Advocacy Decision Tree: Federal, State or Local?

To decide which level(s) of government can help with your problem:

Answering this question may involve some research. For help, go to Research tips for the decision tree.

Did you learn about your issue from a government source or something that referenced a government program, e.g. a notice from the HUSKY program or Medicare about your benefits, a letter from your doctor about provider fees in Medicaid, about state plans for a health care program?

If you learned about your issue from a news report, which government sources did the reporter contact for information?

Is your issue related to one of these programs/areas?

These are general guidelines and the lines of accountability get fuzzy at times.

Medicare	Federal
Medicaid, HUSKY	State
Health insurance	Start with the State Healthcare Advocate
Public health	All three, start with state
Veterans’ health	Federal and State
Consumer protection	Start with the State Healthcare Advocate
Uninsured	Start with your state legislators Contacting elected officials
Prescription drug coverage	Start with the State Healthcare Advocate
Long term care	State
Hospitals	State
Mental health or substance abuse	Start with the state
Developmental Disabilities	Start with the state
Home care	State
Environmental health	Start with state
Access Health CT, Affordable Care Act coverage	State
Schools and school-based health	Local and state
Health care for persons with disabilities	Start with state
Health equity	State, federal
Professional practices in health care	State