RxKids
Hawaiʻi
What is RxKids?
The ProgramRxKids is a groundbreaking program that provides no-strings-attached financial support to pregnant mothers. There are successful RxKids programs in cities across Michigan.
No Strings Attached
Families decide how to use the funds based on their unique needs—whether for rent, food, baby supplies, or other essentials.
Universal Support
Every pregnant mother in participating communities receives support—no complicated eligibility requirements or means testing.
Critical First Year
Monthly payments continue throughout the baby's first year, providing stability during the most important developmental period.
Why Hawaiʻi's families need RxKids
How RxKids would work in Hawaiʻi
Pregnancy Enrollment
Expectant mothers enroll during their third trimester of pregnancy.
Initial Payment
A lump sum during pregnancy to prepare for baby's arrival.
Monthly Support
Guaranteed for the first six months after birth.
Additional Support
Six more monthly payments, if program funds are available.
Payment amounts mirror the Flint, Michigan model and are illustrative for a proposed Hawaiʻi program.
How TANF helps pay for RxKids
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) is a federal program that gives each state a pot of money to help families with children who are struggling to get by. States get to decide a lot about how to spend it — and helping families care for their kids at home is exactly what it’s meant for.
TANF can give money in two very different ways
Ongoing aid
Comes with stringsMonthly cash meant to cover a family’s needs over the long term. To get it, families must follow rules — time limits, work requirements, and paperwork — and it can shrink other help like food assistance.
Short-term help
No stringsA brief payment for one specific moment — like welcoming a new baby. As long as it lasts no more than a few months, it counts as short-term help: no time limits, no work requirements, no strings attached.
How RxKids uses TANF
RxKids uses the no-strings, short-term kind of TANF to cover the most important early stretch — the payment during pregnancy and the first few months after birth. The later months are paid for with state and other funds.
The choice that keeps it “no strings”
There’s a catch: TANF’s no-strings help only lasts about four months. If TANF pays for more than that, the law treats it as ongoing aid — and the strings come back. (Just limiting it to lower-income families doesn’t change that — what matters is keeping TANF to those first few months.) That leaves Hawaiʻi two ways to build the program:
Use TANF for everything
Strings come backFor families who qualify, TANF could pay for all 12 months. It’s simpler to fund — but because the help now lasts longer than a few months, the law counts it as ongoing aid. That brings back time limits, work requirements, child-support rules, and smaller food and housing benefits.
“Braided” funding
Stays no stringsTANF pays only for the first few months, where it’s truly no-strings. State and other funds cover the rest — plus the families who don’t qualify for TANF. Everyone is covered, and the whole program stays no-strings. This is how RxKids already runs in Michigan.
Hawaiʻi’s bill (HB2006) already limits TANF money to families on Medicaid or under 300% of the poverty line — but it doesn’t yet cap TANF to those first few months. Adding that cap is the key to keeping the program no-strings. It’s also why some state officials have warned about work rules, child support, and reduced benefits — those concerns are real under Option 1, but largely disappear under Option 2.
The bottom line
TANF pays for the start. Hawaiʻi pays for the rest. Families get help right when they need it most — with no strings attached.
Learn More About RxKids
Discover how this innovative program is transforming communities and supporting families across the nation.
Visit RxKids.org About the Program