Opinion: Measuring Success of Services

Post from Jonathan Walters, Executive Editor of Governing.com

Jonathan Walters

The importance of performance measurement in tough fiscal times can't be overstated, but I also don't think there's any more important policy area to which it applies than human services.

Recently, I spoke at a conference for the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) on the fiscal outlook for 2013. Joining me was Bill Pound, executive director of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Both of us predicted that Congress would ultimately cobble together some unsatisfying, short-term gimmick for avoiding the so-called "fiscal cliff," and we both suggested that whether we went off the cliff or not, folks in human services -- including those focused on developmental disabilities -- were going to continue experiencing the big fiscal squeeze. I went on to suggest that anyone not focusing more tightly on results-informed budgeting and policy would wind up in even worse shape.

Medicaid: More Than Just Numbers

Came across this on The White House Blog by Jon Carson, Deputy Assistant to President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

It's no secret that our country is in the middle of a tough dialogue about the budget and spending. President Obama knows that the American people and ordinary families should be at the heart of these discussions.
In recent days, White House officials have been meeting with organizations like The Arc, MomsRising, and Family Voices to discuss the important role Medicaid plays in the lives of millions of Americans. They heard from parents of children with developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities who told us about Medicaid providing the services and supports so their children could thrive in the community when no one had given them a chance. They heard from mothers who would go without health care but for Medicaid and families where Medicaid has helped change and save lives.