Health and Health Care for Women of Reproductive Age: How the United States Compares with Other High-Income Countries
Across 11 high-income countries, rates of death from avoidable causes among women of reproductive age (18 to 49), including pregnancy-related complications, are highest in the United States, an issue brief from the Commonwealth Fund finds. Based on data from the Commonwealth Fund’s 2020 International Health Policy Survey and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Health and Health Care for Women of Reproductive Age: How the United States Compares with Other High-Income Countries found that in the U.S., avoidable mortality deaths per 100,000 women numbered 198, far higher than in other OECD countries, where rates ranged from 90 in Switzerland to 146 in the United Kingdom. Maternal mortality rates also were highest in the U.S., at 23.8 per 100,000 live births—and more than twice that rate among Black women (55.3)—compared with between 0 and 7.6 in the other countries. Women of reproductive age in the U.S. also were most likely to have a mental healthcare need, multiple chronic conditions, and difficulty paying medical bills and to skip or delay needed care because of costs. The brief also outlines policy recommendations for ensuring access to primary, maternal, and mental health care and to diversify the healthcare workforce.

 
            
    
    
    