Did the federal stimulus work? One can only wonder how people in Indiana would have been impacted had we not had the stimulus program to avoid massive cuts in education and Medicaid. An article in the February 18th issue of the Indianapolis Star on this topic mentions only briefly that stimulus funds kept teachers employed and provided Medicaid health benefits. Indiana expects to receive a total of $1.4 billion in Medicaid stimulus funding, not $1.4 million as reported in an early edition of the Star. These funds are critical to the lives of Hoosiers who are elderly or disabled, as well as to the staff that serve them.
Home care for people with disabilities and seniors is a key example. Stimulus funds provided an increase in the federal contribution to Indiana’s Medicaid program, allowing thousands of vulnerable Hoosiers to receive the supports they need to live in their homes. The people who serve them continued to receive a paycheck, pay taxes, support their families and not end up on Medicaid and/or unemployment themselves.
It is quite amazing that politics continues to be played on the stimulus and other critical issues, rather than all sides pulling together to work to address the tremendous problems facing our state and country.
The Arc of Indiana is committed to finding better and smarter ways to utilize federal and state funds that are so important to the people we represent. We understand that we must all work together to develop new approaches that use tax dollars in the most effective way and direct help to those most in need. We have been working for several months in partnership with leaders of provider agencies to push for the implementation of real reforms that can save significant funds and allow people to continue to receive vital services. Without the federal stimulus dollars, we would be in a far different position - scrabbling to react to cuts in funding and services beyond those that have occurred, rather than working towards more innovative approaches to using scarce resources.
While it is fair to ask if the stimulus worked, political noise should not be allowed to drown out reasonable voices that seek to rebuild our economy while at the same time take care of vulnerable citizens.
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