Physician and researchers describe Rx/ARCS Kids cash‑prescription program and early results

Dr. Mona Hanna, a pediatrician and associate dean for public health at Michigan State University, told the House Families and Veterans Committee that a cash‑prescription program for pregnant mothers and newborns produced measurable benefits in pilot communities and that the model is ready to expand.

Hanna said the program, introduced in Flint in January 2024 and referred to in testimony both as "Rx Kids" and "ARCS Kids," provides a $1,500 cash payment during pregnancy and then $500 a month after birth for either six or 12 months depending on local funding. She said the design leverages a provision of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program — nonrecurring short‑term benefits (NRST) — for the initial payments to low‑income families and uses philanthropic and local public funds to extend and make the program universal in participating communities.

"This program made my family whole again," Hanna said, recounting a participant whose recovery and parenting were supported by the cash prescriptions and who…