We Just Gave Parents a Fighting Chance

This first-in-the-nation program helps moms afford the basics

Becoming a parent was one of the most joyful days of my life. It was also one of the scariest. I remember driving home from the hospital holding my oldest daughter, Sherry, and thinking, “How the hell am I going to do this?”

That period of my life felt impossible. I was taking care of my newborn while also caring for my mom, who was dying of brain cancer, and to top it all off, I had just started my new job as a state representative.

Juggling all of that was hard, but I was lucky to have a lot of help that most people don’t. I had family and friends I could count on, health insurance for my baby, and a job that gave us options. Still, it took a village.

My daughter Sherry, me, my grandma Gretchen, and my mom Sherry

That was over 20 years ago, and raising a kid has only gotten harder and more expensive. Now, the average family can expect to spend over $20,000 on a new baby during the first year, and costs are only going up. Cribs, strollers, clothes, wipes are all getting more expensive—even baby formula can cost parents over $200 a month.

There is no anxiety worse for a parent than wondering if your kid is going to be okay, and right now, too many parents are going to bed unsure how they’re going to make it all work.

That’s why I’m really proud of what we just got done in Michigan this week. On Tuesday, we celebrated the launch of Rx Kids Detroit, a life-changing program that helps parents afford the basics: hospital bills, baby food, clothing, transportation to and from appointments, and more. Moms receive $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 a month for the first six to twelve months of a baby’s life.

This first-in-the-nation program was started in 2024 by Dr. Mona Hanna, the doctor whose research uncovered the Flint water crisis. She launched the program in Flint with just 250 moms, and thanks to funding we secured in our (balanced) state budgets, we expanded the program to over 29 communities and almost 6,000 families across Michigan in the last two years.

The results speak for themselves: more consistent checkups before and after birth, babies born at healthier weights, decreased NICU admissions. Moms are healthier, too. As parents, we know what happens when you’re forced to choose between yourself and your kids, and Rx Kids makes sure parents don’t have to make those sacrifices.

Now, we’re rolling out the biggest expansion of Rx Kids yet, and we’re able to do this for one simple reason: we put problem-solving over politics.

Last fall, Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature came together on this issue, and we made a transformational investment in our state budget to expand the program. Now, Rx Kids will help nearly 100,000 babies across Michigan, including the 8,000 that are born every year in Detroit. We also announced that starting March 2nd, Rx Kids will be open to every mom and baby in the Upper Peninsula.

I was moved during our celebration in Detroit on Monday, where we heard from moms across our state. Some had high-risk pregnancies that put them out of work. Some had no support system and were on their own. Others were working multiple jobs but still drowning in medical bills and expenses. Like every parent, they just want their kids to be healthy. Because of this program, they can be.

We all have a stake in making sure our youngest people grow up to be successful adults. We know those first years of a child’s life often have the largest impact on who they will become later on. That’s why in Michigan we’re investing smarter and earlier— from offering free pre-K and school meals to expanding and lowering the cost of child care to tackling our literacy crisis head-on. Rx Kids is our latest tool to help every child succeed and put money back in families’ pockets. And while the federal government keeps making life more expensive, I’ll continue doing everything I can to give people some real relief right now.

I wanted to share this story not only because I think Rx Kids deserves to be celebrated as an example of smart policy but because I hope people see that even amidst so much division and uncertainty, we were still able to work across the aisle and do something that makes people’s lives better.

I know there are problems to solve that seem so big we might not know where to start. There’s so much change happening around us, from new technology to global forces to man-made crises coming from our own government. It can be overwhelming to think where to even begin.

So for anyone asking, my advice is simple: begin somewhere. There’s no one person or one solution that can magically solve all of our problems. But that shouldn’t keep us from doing whatever we can to make something just a little bit better. Our work this week is going to help thousands of families look at their babies for the first time and know they are going to be okay. No matter what else is happening, that will always be work worth doing.