Healthy Women Healthy Babies Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Demonstration Program
A state-run guaranteed basic income pilot administered by the Delaware Division of Public Health and the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium (DHMIC), providing 40 low-income pregnant women in high-risk New Castle County ZIP codes with $500 disbursed twice monthly (about $1,000/month) for 24 months via a reloadable Usio debit card. Funded with state Infant Mortality funds and federal ARPA dollars, it aimed to improve birth outcomes and maternal/infant health. Local enrollment and screening were handled by Rose Hill Community Center, with wraparound services (case management, financial coaching, housing and job assistance) and program design/evaluation support from Health Management Associates (HMA). Results announced September 2023 reported a 324% return on investment, strong prenatal care access, and low birth-complication rates.
State-government-run, Pregnancy, Maternal health, Infant mortality, ZIP-code targeted, Debit card, ARPA-funded
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Delaware Division of Public Health (in collaboration with the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium)
- City
- Dover
- State / Province
- Delaware
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 40
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 24,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,000 USD
- Payment frequency
- Biweekly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Reloadable/prepaid debit card (Usio-issued Debit Mastercard)
- Benefit details
Participants received $500 disbursed on the 1st and 15th of each month (approximately $1,000/month total) for 24 months, loaded onto a reloadable Usio debit card usable anywhere Debit Mastercard is accepted. Funds could be spent on food, transportation, education, housing, or baby supplies, with roughly half of spending going to groceries, household basics, and transportation. Note: seed data listed the frequency as a flat 'bi-weekly $1,000' payment, but sourced reporting indicates $500 was paid twice monthly ($1,000/month), which is the figure used here. The program also connected participants to wraparound services such as financial coaching, case management, and career support, and helped many access SNAP and WIC.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants were pregnant Delaware residents in their first or second trimester, with household income at or below the Federal Poverty Level, who lived in a designated Healthy Women Healthy Babies high-risk ZIP code in the Wilmington/New Castle County area (e.g., 19720, 19801). Participants had to agree to quarterly program evaluation sessions as a condition of enrollment. The pilot enrolled 40 women across at least two cohorts beginning in 2022; one cohort of 15 women reportedly started with 13 women on April 1, 2022 and 2 more on May 15, 2022, which does not precisely match the seed data's '2022-03 and 2022-07, 2 cohorts' framing.
Demographics
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female
Family
- Family Status
- Expecting
Health
- Health conditions
- Pregnancy, targeted at women at elevated risk for pre-term birth/poor birth outcomes
Financial
- Income as % of Federal Poverty Level
- 100 %
Geography
- US states covered
- Delaware
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Wilmington
- Counties covered
- New Castle County
- ZIP / postal codes covered
- 19720, 19801 (and other designated Healthy Women Healthy Babies high-risk zones)
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Participants were required to attend quarterly evaluation sessions to provide feedback used by program organizers. Health Management Associates (HMA) was contracted by the Division of Public Health to help design the pilot (including engaging housing-insecure childbearing women) and to lead evaluation. Reported findings (announced September 2023, with data through the pilot's 24-month cycles) included a 324% return on investment, roughly $229,500-$299,500 in reduced hospital-stay costs and about $21,600 in reduced ED visit costs (figures vary slightly by source), 89% of mothers accessing prenatal care, and about 81% of babies born with no complications. A separate, more comprehensive final evaluation report was reportedly planned by HMA for release around 2024, but Dotare researchers could not independently locate or confirm a specific August 2024 published report matching the seed-provided link.
Application Process
- How to apply
Enrollment was administered through Rose Hill Community Center, which screened eligibility (income, trimester, ZIP code) and enrolled participants; the pilot was fully enrolled at 40 participants and is not currently accepting new applicants.
- Selection process
Screened for eligibility (below Federal Poverty Level income, 1st/2nd trimester pregnancy, residency in a designated high-risk ZIP code) by Rose Hill Community Center on behalf of the Delaware Division of Public Health/DHMIC; capped at 40 total participants across enrollment cohorts.
