State Boosts Rx Kids Cash Aid for New Mothers and Infants
Michigan set aside $270 million to boost Rx Kids, a cash aid program for new mothers and infants, in the state budget passed October 3, 2025. The funds split between…
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Michigan set aside $270 million to boost Rx Kids, a cash aid program for new mothers and infants, in the state budget passed October 3, 2025. The funds split between $20 million from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and $250 million from the Healthy Michigan fund.
"We anticipate being able to launch in dozens of new communities in Michigan. This amount of funding will help us reach about 100,000 babies over the next three years," said Dr. Mona Hanna, director of Rx Kids and associate dean of public health at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, according to The Detroit Free Press.
New mothers get $1,500 while pregnant, then $500 each month during their child's first year. Starting in Flint in 2024, the program now runs in 11 areas across Michigan.
The results in Flint stand out. After birth, families saw 91% fewer evictions than the year before. Cases of postpartum depression fell to 33% from 46%. Most striking - the city recorded 29% fewer infants needing intensive care.
"What legislators understood is that this program was addressing the polycrisis that the state is facing," Hanna said. "It's addressing housing affordability and childcare, and it's providing immediate relief so families can buy things that they need."
Monique Stanton, who leads the Michigan League for Public Policy, praised how the funds "will help babies and parents get a strong start toward health and economic security."
By September 30, 2025, the initiative had given $15 million to 3,600 families. To join, mothers must show they live in the area and be at least 16 weeks pregnant. With fresh funding, more struggling cities like Ypsilanti and Saginaw will soon offer the program.
Angela Sintery, who got help from the program, spent the money on baby items. "I used that money to buy my car seat, to buy her bassinet and her crib," Sintery said, according to The Guardian. "It took so much stress away."
State officials now push for laws to spread the program statewide.
