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Pediatrician outlines Rx Kids cash-prescription model to DHHS panel; program uses TANF redirect and philanthropy
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Summary
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha described Rx Kids, a program delivering cash payments in pregnancy and the first year of life in Flint and other Michigan communities using a TANF nonrecurring-benefit provision plus philanthropic match; presenters reported near-100% uptake and early improvements in prenatal care and other indicators.
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and public-health professor at Michigan State University, told the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee on Feb. 19 that Rx Kids is a place-based cash-prescription program for pregnant people and infants that has yielded rapid uptake and early health and economic indicators in Flint.
"Rx Kids is what we call a prescription for health, hope, and opportunity," Dr. Hanna-Attisha said. She described a model that delivers a $1,500 one-time payment in mid-pregnancy and then $500 per month for the child's first year of life, administered by GiveDirectly in partnership with Michigan State University and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.
Hanna-Attisha said Rx Kids launched in Flint in January 2024 with seed funding from the C.S. Mott Foundation and used a redirection of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars through a provision called nonrecurring short-term benefits (NRSTs) for the initial payments. She told the committee that the program has since leveraged philanthropic, municipal and other sources to expand into Kalamazoo, the Eastern Upper Peninsula and other pilot communities.
The presenter said Rx Kids has prescribed more than $6 million to about 1,500 families and reported a near 100% enrollment rate in Flint. She cited early results showing increased first-trimester prenatal care, reduced smoking in the third trimester, higher WIC participation, improvements in birthweight and gestational age, and survey-reported improvements in food and housing security and maternal mental health.
Committee members questioned sustainability and funding mix. Hanna-Attisha said roughly 30% to 40% of funding in some expansions comes from TANF, with the remainder from philanthropy and municipal sources; she provided examples: Flint used roughly $3 million in TANF and $6 million from other sources yearly, and Kalamazoo's initial mix included $1.5 million in TANF plus $5 million in other funds. For some rural expansions in the Upper Peninsula the presenter said $750,000 came from TANF and roughly $4 million was raised from philanthropic partners to match.
Lawmakers asked about program evaluation and long-term tracking. Hanna-Attisha said the program uses vital records, Medicaid claims and other administrative data, as well as surveys, to run comparative analyses and follow children over time. She said Rx Kids is already running difference-in-difference comparisons and that researchers will continue to examine health and economic outcomes.
The presentation was informational; the transcript records questions and discussion but no formal committee votes related to Rx Kids.
