LANSING — An expanding program is looking to provide thousands of dollars to new and expecting mothers, aid that advocates say can help families around the state.
The program — Rx Kids — provides a one-time $1500 payment to expecting mothers at least 16 weeks into pregnancy, and $500 a month until a baby is 6 months old.
“It turns out that families are poorest around childbirth for many reasons,” said Dr. Mona Hanna, associate dear for public health at Michigan State University and director of the program. “Moms often have to come out of work — they lose income. Babies are really expensive, so there’s an affordability issue.”
Dr. Hanna says that providing support early in life is essential to individual and public health.
“If a mom is stressed because she can’t make her ends meet during pregnancy, if she has housing instability, if she’s not taking in appropriate nutrition because she can’t pay for it — that impacts the developing fetus and leads to things like premature delivery and low birth weight,” she said.
The cash comes with no strings attached, a departure from other government assistance that is usually tightly regulated.
“It’s not food assistance, it’s not housing assistance, it’s not childcare assistance, it’s not health insurance assistance, like Medicaid,” Dr. Hanna said. “So this allows families to best meet their needs. It gives them freedom and choice and flexibility.”
The program includes five communities across the state, spanning urban areas like Flint and Pontiac and more rural communities like Clare and the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
Expecting or recent mothers in these communities can apply for assistance here.
Steve Hall, health officer for the Central Michigan District Health Department, says that the flexibility of the program helps support families in rural areas.
“There is not a hospital in Clare County that that delivers babies, so our residents have to travel,” he said. “And so when they’re at their most vulnerable, things like this can help.”
The program expanded to Clare on Aug. 1 and has already distributed more than $13,000 to nine families.
Hall also says that the program was easy to launch and has required little to no administrative burden.
“Very seamless — there were no additional employees that had to be hired by anyone,” he said.
And after launching less than six months ago in the Eastern UP, the program has awarded nearly $800,000 to more than 300 families. About two-thirds of those families have a household income below $50,000.
Statewide, the program has given out over $13 million to more than 3,000 families since kicking off in 2024. And more than 90% of those households bring in less than $50,000 a year.
The Michigan Senate is proposing $78 million for the program in this year’s state budget, but it remains to be seen if that will be included in the final spending plan.
