It’s Time to Eliminate Racial Disparities in Maternal Health

On December 7, 2021, the White House Maternal Health Day of Action, a Call to Action to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, was issued. Earlier, the first bill of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act,?was signed. These actions and the rest of the ‘Momnibus’ bill aim to improve the health outcomes of pregnant women and birthing parents, especially women and persons of color.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and?March of Dimes answered the Call to Action with a partnership titled “Awareness to Action: Dismantling Bias in Maternal and Infant Healthcare.” After all, we know the statistics. At 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy, developed countries. This rate has been rising for over three decades. The maternal mortality rates for birthing Black and Native American people are three to four times and two and a half times higher, respectively, than for birthing white people. It is simply not acceptable that 67 percent of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.

Reducing poor maternal health outcomes and avoidable racial disparities requires examining all aspects of care. For instance, we need to address the causes and consequences of poor and inequitable access to high-quality care, structural racism and non-medical factors to improve outcomes. Passing the complete ‘Momnibus’ bill is a critical place to start.