Child welfare agencies historically have operated in both the public and private sectors. Citigroup has been active in establishing ATM networks to provide Food Stamp and welfare services. It is a nutritional assistance program for low-income families to augment food purchases. Martin provides child support, job placement, other social services, and data processing to state and local governments. The company processes more than 15 percent of CSE payments throughout the nation.
States have flexibility on whom to cover and what benefits to provide.
Many state programs created enrollment brokers which could be private firms or government agencies that direct Medicaid families into pre-qualified HMOs. Sometimes a distinction is made between privatization, meaning turning over government assets to the private sector, and contracting out, meaning turning over services to the private sector. We are using these terms interchangeably. TANF established federally mandated work requirements and lifetime limits of five years of assistance.