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Friends, 

This week, I went to Springfield to testify in support of SB 3756 — the NEST (Newborn Equity Support Transfer) Program to the Honorable Members of the Illinois Senate Appropriations Health and Human Services Committee. Ok, let’s break that down some. 

The Illinois program is outlined in a couple of proposed bills in the legislature (Senate Bill 3756 and House Bill 5238) and follows on the work of cash allowance programs across the world. The program would provide $1500 to moms on Medicaid in the third trimester of pregnancy and $500 a month to their babies in the first six months after birth. It’s a good idea for moms, babies, and Illinois, and I have some history with programs like this, which is why I went to give my testimony. 

Cash programs can make a big difference to people especially during difficult transition times. Money exists to solve problems, which is why cash helps during financially difficult times like pregnancy and infancy. Everyone knows kids are expensive, and that is particularly true during pregnancy and after birth when childhood poverty peaks. Additional money helps people buy diapers, food, medicine, and pay rent. Babies are expensive and working is difficult when you have an infant, so countries around the world help families out. Not so much in this country. Hence, proposed programs like NEST, and the largest program of its kind in the country, .

While I was in Michigan, the associate dean for public health for my college, , created Rx Kids to address the health concerns resulting from poverty in babies. You can dive into the ,  , and of the program. Almost 100% of moms in Flint are in the program, so the results are not due to selection bias. The benefits of Rx Kids fall into a few buckets:

• Moms have better financial stability - less debt, essentially no evictions, and more have the food they want to feed their families
• Moms report better mental health - survey screening tools show less depression and less anxiety
• Moms get better prenatal care - more visits, more first trimester visits, less smoking, and almost no moms who get no prenatal care.
• Babies have healthier births - fewer low birth weight births, fewer preterm births, and fewer neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions
• There appears to be less child mistreatment evidenced by a 32% decrease in child mistreatment investigations
• Health care cost savings - saves $6M a year in Flint through improved health outcomes
• Community job creation and economic stim - personal income went up by more than twice the cost of the program. In Flint, where the program started in 2024, the program created 200 jobs through economic activity.

The work of these kinds of programs is focused on making the world of moms and babies better - the cash is the mechanism, but love and dignity are at the heart of the program. As Dr. Mona rolled out Rx Kids, she restarted the concept of , which harkens back to celebrations of children at the turn of the last century. It is a celebration. By the nature of a no-strings-attached, unconditional cash allowance, Rx Kids shows moms that they are trusted. Because every mom in a community is in the program, every mom  has the dignity of a universal program - no one is getting a special handout or welfare. The moms notice and report in surveys:

• Greater feelings of being .
• Higher levels of .
• Increased parental confidence, with .
• .
• Significantly reduced , a known predictor of child welfare involvement, parenting challenges, and broader family stress.

The program creates a sense of love. How often does that happen? In this case, that is an intentional goal baked in from the beginning — Dr. Mona was aiming for love the whole time. The logo, language, and communication of the program are all about love of moms and babies. Happily, love is contagious, and the program has supporters from both major parties, and in the purple state of Michigan, funding for the program passed the Republican led House and the Senate, led by Democrats. 

In an increasingly polarized society, people of goodwill from . The universal nature of Rx Kids is a key factor in that support. Nearly all young families benefit from the financial support - babies are expensive. In particular, moms and babies in rural communities, which tend to be relatively poor and medically underserved, have many of the same challenges as moms and babies in struggling parts of our cities. Love and dignity go to everyone.

Programs like Rx Kids and NEST can bring people together, help those who are most vulnerable, and, most remarkably, create and expand love. How often do you get to support something like that? 

Improving the wellness of all people with you, 

Aron

(Photo/Nick Kallieris)