House committee probes welfare privatization
Source: By Ken Kusmer, Associated Press (IN), Fri, Jan. 12, 2007
The state’s human services chief told lawmakers Wednesday that his agency offered ample opportunity for public input before awarding a $1.16 billion contract to privatize parts of the state’s food stamp, Medicaid and welfare programs, a deal that is aimed at improving an outdated benefits sys- tem.
Facing persistent questioning from members of the House Ways and Means Committee, Secretary Mitch Roob of the Family and Social Services Administration held firm to his contention that the state’s methods of determining eligibility for benefits are sorely outdated and can be best fixed by outsourcing portions of the work to an IBM Corp.-led team of vendors.