A cash-assistance program for pregnant and new mothers in predominantly low-income areas launched in three more Michigan communities Wednesday.
Moms living in Montmorency County, Mt. Clemens, and Center Line, who are at least 16 weeks pregnant, can now qualify for a $1,500 payment from Rx Kids. The program also gives $500 monthly payments for the first six months of a baby’s life.
Dr. Mona Hanna is the program’s executive director. She said surveys of rural moms show that money often goes to baby food, utility bills, and transportation to and from appointments.
“Families use these dollars to meet their basic needs and at this time in folks’ lives, this maternal infant time, it’s often going to baby supplies and the increased costs of bringing home a new one,” Hanna told reporters during an announcement press conference Wednesday.
Rx Kids estimates it serves around 8,750 families across dozens of low-income townships, cities, and counties in Michigan. That includes the entire Upper Peninsula.
Hanna said it has plans to launch in over a dozen more communities in the coming months.
The program is funded with a mix of public and private money, though some Republican House lawmakers canceled part of the state funding in a surprise move last year.
“We lost about $18 million from fiscal year 2025. That’s limiting our expansion. We have lots of communities interested but we can’t expand as much because we don’t have as much state dollars,” Hanna said.
The program received $270 million across a three year span in the most recent state budget to cover more of the statewide expansion.
Despite bipartisan support for the spending, some Republicans have been more critical in recent months.
The Michigan House Appropriations Committee chair reportedly made false claims about recipients potentially abusing the system during a recent Oakland County fundraising dinner.
Critics argue the program needs tighter qualifications rather than broadly serving all pregnant and new moms in a covered region. But supporters of the program say that ease of access is what makes the system work.
State Representative Tom Kunse (R-Clare) represents a district where Rx Kids expanded early on. He said the program has already made a big difference for moms in his district.
“This helps affordability with families that are in one of their most difficult financial times. So, it’s efficient, it gives money directly to the families, the overhead is low, I’m glad to see it going,” Kunse said during the press conference.
