Louisiana leads the nation in maternal mortality
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Louisiana moms had the nation's highest maternal death rate in 2023, a new report shows.
Zoom in: The state's maternal mortality rate was 41.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to The Commonwealth Fund, a health care foundation.
- That nation-leading rate is on par with countries like Mexico (41.7) and the Seychelles (42.0), the foundation reports.
The big picture: Louisiana has battled its maternal mortality rate for years, which experts have said is the result of a tangled web of factors that make for a deadly combination in the state.
- Among them are high C-section rates, missed postpartum care appointments, high obesity rates, health care racial disparities, tough community conditions, low incomes and little rural access to maternal health care.
- Plus, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the state immediately adopted an abortion ban, which led to a higher maternal mortality rate nationwide among riskier procedures and care delays in Louisiana.
- Delayed care is especially evident in a new New Orleans Health Department study examining the effects of a 2024 state law relabeling misoprostol and mifepristone as controlled substances. The drugs, which can induce abortions, are commonly used to manage miscarriages, induce labor and treat postpartum hemorrhages.
Threat level: The new data means a pregnant mom is four times more likely to die in Louisiana than in California, the Commonwealth Fund says.
- But more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, according to the CDC.
What they're saying: "Historically, states that invest more in health coverage, reproductive care, and social protections tend to have better health outcomes, in some cases on par with high-income countries," the report says.
- Meanwhile, "states that invest less and pass more restrictive policies have outcomes similar to low- and middle-income or politically unstable countries."
What we're watching: State and local officials are working to battle Louisiana's bleak data, although results have been mixed.
- Louisiana is just one of two states in 2025 that'll reimburse doula services on private insurance plans, the report states.
Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
