Lessons for Program Uptake: The 2024 Rx Kids Universal and Unconditional Cash Prescription Program in Flint, Michigan

Programs in the United States aimed at improving maternal and infant health vary in effectiveness in reaching eligible participants. Administrative burdens such as learning, psychological, and compliance costs increase barriers to initial and sustained enrollment in these programs. This case study explored the effectiveness of Rx Kids-the United States' first community-wide unconditional cash prescription program for mothers and infants launched in Flint, Michigan-in achieving exceptionally high program uptake. We compared total births among program participants with total births in Flint based on birth certificate records to estimate aggregate and prenatal uptake rates. We calculated an aggregate uptake rate in the range of 100% and a prenatal uptake rate of 93%. A limitation of our methodology was our inability to match program participants to birth certificate data. We discuss this and other limitations and offer recommendations for further refining estimates of program uptake using a data match process. The high uptake rate of Rx Kids underscores the importance of program design in reducing administrative burdens, with broad implications for improving maternal and infant health and public health at large.