Four Truths We Know About Government Efficiency—and Effectiveness

Behind all of Code for America’s work to improve government is our belief that efficient, human-centered service delivery helps communities thrive. For 15 years, our North Star has been the notion that getting help from the government can and should always be easy, quick, and dignified. 

But today, Congress is advancing legislation that would impose dramatic changes on critical government programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), making it harder—or impossible—for millions of low-income Americans to meet their basic needs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the bill could strip 11.8 million adults of health coverage, take food assistance away from 2.9 million people, and cause an estimated 2 million children to lose access to the Child Tax Credit.

Many of these losses would be driven by new administrative burdens: miles of new red tape that would trip up eligible people, worsen their relationship with government, and keep them from the help they need. In short, this bill will make critical government programs less effective, less efficient, and less accessible. 

As Congress deliberates over these devastating proposals, Code for America remains committed to our long-held belief that we don’t need to cut access to government support in order to make government more efficient. We’ve seen time and time again that it is possible to design government services that work better, cost less, and deliver better outcomes for people. 

After 15 years, we’ve learned four fundamental truths about how to improve government efficiency effectively.

We’ve seen time and time again that it’s possible to design government services that work better, cost less, and deliver better outcomes for people.

Better services don’t have to break the bank—they can actually save government dollars

For the more than 70 million Americans enrolled in Medicaid, access to health care is often contingent upon filling out and submitting forms in a timely fashion. The renewal process for the program can be a burden—and even worse, not completing it can mean losing health care coverage altogether. 

Code for America has been making this process easier for Medicaid clients and caseworkers in government alike. By helping states automatically renew eligible Medicaid clients (a process called ex parte renewal), Code for America has helped streamline clients’ access to health care and saved states time, resources, and money. In fact, our ex parte work in Colorado is saving caseworkers more than 200 hours every month—translating to a minimum of $66K in cost savings each year—all while enabling a fast and easy experience for clients. 

Generating these efficiencies didn’t require slashing funding for core Medicaid programs or imposing difficult-to-navigate administrative requirements. It did, however, require creative thinking and judicious investments in modern solutions. The success of the ex parte renewal process is proof that innovative, cost-saving solutions exist—and that efficiency doesn’t have to mean austerity.

The success of the ex parte renewal process is proof that innovative, cost-saving solutions exist—and that efficiency doesn’t have to mean austerity.

Simplifying and streamlining processes saves time for clients and government

The March 2021 expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), a provision of the American Rescue Plan, cut child poverty nearly in half. It was an example of the transformative power of an intentional government effort to help people during a crisis. 

Delivering these benefits quickly was more important than ever during the pandemic. Rather than creating a new application process, the IRS smartly leveraged tax data they already had to rapidly issue the credits. This meant that most households did not have to do anything to receive the benefit. By automating the delivery of the expanded CTC, the IRS not only saved families hours of stressful paperwork—it also saved itself the time and effort of manually processing applications for 60 million children. For families who didn’t have enough up-to-date data to receive benefits automatically, Code for America created GetCTC, a free, simplified tax filing tool specifically designed to help families with very low incomes easily access the CTC. By the end of 2022, GetCTC helped nearly 200,000 families claim a collective $685 million through a process that could be completed on a mobile device in less than 15 minutes. 

In contrast, a recent proposal considered by Congress would have required families to pre-register dependents when claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit—a process which would have added new access barriers for more than 17 million families, and would have required an already under-resourced IRS to establish an entirely new precertification tool to confirm applicants’ eligibility. We are relieved that this provision was ultimately stricken from the bill, and as we look ahead to next tax season, we are eager to collaborate with states to build on the example of GetCTC and help more families access state tax credits through similar streamlined processes.

Thoughtful iteration is the most efficient way to get to solutions that actually work

In civic tech, “start small and iterate” is more than a motto; it’s a strategy to reduce the risk of big, complicated projects by quickly identifying what works, and letting those insights shape how the project is developed. This approach maximizes quality while minimizing time and effort wasted. Rather than indiscriminately running down dead ends, exercising care and intention builds pathways to what actually works. 

This ethos was at the heart of MNBenefits, a single platform that makes it easier for people in Minnesota to apply for nine public benefits. Code for America started with one county to test what worked and what didn’t before scaling over time. An iterative, human-centered process allowed us to learn from both clients and caseworkers before we ultimately made the tool available statewide.  

The rapid timelines outlined in the budget bill will put immense strain on states to make significant changes to their systems and processes quickly. The pressure to meet federally mandated timelines increases the risk that states will invest heavily in pre-packaged solutions that promise simple and fast results, but that ultimately don’t meet their needs. But now more than ever, states can’t afford to waste time and money on solutions that don’t work. In the face of looming deadlines and rapidly changing policy, prioritizing iteration and learning isn’t a luxury—it’s an approach we know works most efficiently to ensure the success of large scale projects.

In civic tech, “start small and iterate” is more than a motto; it’s a strategy to reduce the risk of big, complicated projects by quickly identifying what works, and letting those insights shape how the project is developed.

Building efficient, human-centered solutions in government has always been hard—but it is not impossible

Building government services that are efficient, effective, and human-centered has always been hard, and this bill is poised to make it even harder. But it is not impossible. For years we have partnered with states and the federal government to build services that inspire trust by meeting people’s needs and improving outcomes that matter—and we know it is possible even in the face of seemingly insurmountable limitations and constraints. 

In 2024, the IRS launched Direct File, a free, public tax filing service that made it easy to file taxes by thoughtfully designing the question flow and using IRS data to prefill large portions of the tax return.  As a result, 94% percent of Direct File users rated their experience with the tool as “excellent” or “above average,” proving that government can effectively deliver services that people love. In addition, Direct File boosted efficiency for the IRS and state tax departments by producing the most accurate tax returns of any DIY service—reducing audits and time-consuming back-and-forth—and decreasing paper filing, which facilitated faster processing and significantly reduced costs. While the current Administration has made moves to cancel Direct File, it will forever remain an example of what is possible when government prioritizes people. 

Whether this bill passes or fails, Code for America will continue our work of improving government, because giving up isn’t an option. Our work isn’t just about building technology. It’s about making it easier for families to access help that keeps food on their tables, helping people keep their health insurance so that they can see a doctor when they’re sick, and expanding access to life-changing resources through tax benefits. The challenges may be steeper now, but our resolve has never been stronger, because this isn’t just our work—it’s our calling.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​