Shocking Rate of Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in the United States
• One of the most underreported stories of 2017 is the shocking rate of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States, which is rising steadily while it falls everywhere else in the developed world. Each year over 600 women in the U.S. die from pregnancy-related causes and more than 65,000 experience life-threatening complications, says a report by the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute. Inadequate medical coverage in rural areas, racial disparities in access to care, the ever-more-confusing health system and the rising age of mothers are all drivers of this maternal health crisis. Whatever the causes, the reason the story is so little-known isn’t mysterious. In the patchwork of recordkeeping across 50 states, data on deaths caused by pregnancy is difficult …
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