LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Michigan program that gives new mothers direct cash assistance is expanding after receiving a $270 million investment in the new state budget.
The Rx Kids initiative, founded by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a Michigan State University pediatrician and public health leader, provides families with $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 a month for at least six months after birth.
“It’s the nation’s first mom and baby cash prescription program, and it’s working,” Hanna-Attisha said. “We’ve actually seen it help eliminate poverty for moms and babies.”
The new funding will allow Rx Kids to grow from 11 existing communities to dozens more over the next three years, reaching thousands of additional families statewide. The program already operates in five Eastern Upper Peninsula counties, including Chippewa, Luce, Alger, Schoolcraft, and Mackinac, where it has helped hundreds of families since launching IN 2024.
“Rural poverty and rural health are hard,” Hanna-Attisha said. “There aren’t as many social safety net programs, and it’s harder for people to get to places, so it’s our goal to reach the rest of the U.P. with this expansion.”
Families report spending the money on essentials like baby supplies, rent, and food, but Hanna-Attisha says the biggest impact is stress relief.
“We hear a lot of gratitude. Families say, ‘I can breathe again. I can parent. I don’t have to choose between diapers and rent.’”
Hanna-Attisha says the expansion has broad bipartisan support, calling it “a bright spot” in Michigan policymaking. The program is expected to begin rolling out to additional communities in early 2026.
