Poll: Americans find common ground on moms and babies
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Nearly eight in 10 voters say they're more likely to support a candidate if they champion maternal health reform, with the vast majority backing proposals regardless of party, according to a new national poll.
Why it matters: In a deeply polarized era — particularly around women's health issues — maternal health is a rare area of bipartisan agreement.
The big picture: The national poll commissioned by Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America — a project of the Heartland Forward think tank — comes as labor and delivery units close in hospitals across the U.S., leaving patients to drive hours to receive obstetric care.
- The findings also come as states prepare for sweeping Medicaid changes that health advocates warn could jeopardize access to prenatal care for low income women.
By the numbers: The poll, by Kellyanne Conway's KAConsulting, found that 77% of voters said maternal health in America needs to improve.
- After voters were given information about about the issue — such as data showing there are 17.9 deaths per 100,000 births in the U.S. and that the bulk of those deaths are considered preventable — support jumped to 86%.
- The biggest jump in voters saying maternal health needs to improve were among those who knew the least about the issue, including Republican women (21 points) and Trump voters (17 points).
Between the lines: The poll asked voters about different policy proposals and found 13 out of 15 proposals received at least 80% support, with broad backing regardless of party affiliation.
- For instance, 88% of voters said they supported expanding specialty care and telehealth for women with high-risk pregnancies in rural or underserved communities.
- 87% said they backed a "whole-health approach" to pregnancy care including maternal mental health, nutrition and chronic disease care.
- More than 85% said they support investing in training more maternal health care professionals.
Methodology: The findings are based on a mixed-mode national survey of 1,001 registered voters between July 12 and July 16. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
