When the federal government decided to base Medicaid payments under the stimulus program on employment figures for the wrong months, Nebraska fiscal analyst Liz Hruska did a little probing that resulted in a huge return--$6.3 million for the state's bottom line.

• Position: People & Politics

When the federal government decided to base Medicaid payments under the stimulus program on employment figures for the wrong months, Nebraska fiscal analyst Liz Hruska did a little probing that resulted in a huge return--$6.3 million for the state's bottom line. Hruska, who specializes in Medicaid and other human services programs, questioned why the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services planned to base payments on unemployment numbers from October through December, rather than January through March. She and her boss contacted U.S. Senator...