Flint Program Providing Cash Aid to Moms Shows Promising Results for Infant Health
FLINT, MI – September 15, 2025 – A โprogramโ providing direct cash assistance to pregnant women and new mothers in Flint is linked โto importent reductions in preterm births, neonatal intensive care admissions, and smoking during pregnancy, according to new studies. The Rx Kids program, which has now distributed approximately $14.5 million to over 3,400 families across 11 Michigan communities, โฃis demonstratingโข a potential return on investment through lowered healthcare costs.
Researchers found a 29% decrease โ- or 68 fewer – neonatal intensive care admissions during the study period associatedโ with Rx Kids. The โprogram alsoโ correlated โwith a reduction inโฃ smoking duringโ the third trimester, aโค known risk factor for โpreterm birth and โฃlow birthweight. Researchers attribute this, in part, to “reduced financial stress”โ stemming from the cash aid and increased engagement with prenatal care providers.
“From a healthcare perspective, preterm births and low birthweight births are โฃexpensive,” said researcher Dr. Agarwal. Preventing a preterm birth avoids roughly $93,000 in medical costs, possibly saving the city of Flint $2.6 million annually. โAvoidingโค a low โbirthweight birth could cut โฃcosts by approximately $144,000 per case, โtranslating toโข $6.2 million in annual savings for Flint,โค Agarwal estimated.
“This is an example of how an intervention is saving money today,” added hanna.
Rx โฃKids, launched in Flint in 2024, is now available to eligible participants in counties spanning from โthe Eastern Upper Peninsula to parts โฃof metroโ Detroit.The program has attracted both public and private funding, and alsoโ bipartisan support from lawmakers.
The findings add to a growing body of research on the effectiveness of cash aidโ programs. Though, one recent study noted that differences in child development outcomes were not found between low-income mothers receiving $333 a month versusโข $20 a month, suggesting the size โof the aid and externalโ factors like the COVID-19 pandemic may play a role.
Eligible mothers can sign up for Rx Kids through the program’s website: https://rxkids.org/impact/dashboard/. Moreโค facts about the program’s โคimpact can be found at https://www.openresearchlab.org/studies/unconditional-cash-study/study and https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w33844/w33844.pdf.