Commonly referred to as the stimulus bill or the Recovery Act, the ARRA was an economic stimulus package enacted by Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009 by President Barack Obama. The law temporarily granted higher federal matching funds for states to help with the costs of higher enrollments in Medicaid as a result of the 2007-2009 recession, and it provided financial incentives for providers to adopt health information technology systems.