Unconditional cash transfers and prenatal care utilization in Flint, Michigan

In 2024, an unconditional cash transfer program, Rx Kids, launched in Flint, Michigan, providing every expectant mother—upon verification of pregnancy and gestational age by health care practitioners—$1500 midpregnancy and $500 monthly after birth until age 1 year. It is the first community-wide cash transfer program in the US with universal eligibility (ie, no means testing) targeting the perinatal period. We examined prenatal care utilization in Flint before and after implementation of Rx Kids compared with similar cities in Michigan.

This cohort study found that implementation of Rx Kids, an upstream and place-based treatment of perinatal economic hardship, was associated with substantial improvements in prenatal care utilization in Flint, Michigan. The monetary support, including its anticipation, may have buffered the economic shock of pregnancy to help cover the direct or indirect costs associated with accessing care.