12/03/2024
“A recent analysis found that a midwife workforce, integrated into health care delivery systems, could provide 80 percent of essential maternal care around the world and potentially avert 41 percent of maternal deaths, 39 percent of neonatal deaths, and 26 percent of stillbirths.”
“Midwives have a long history of providing high-quality, high-touch care to meet both the physiological and psychosocial needs of historically disenfranchised communities.”
“Inequitable Medicaid reimbursement rates and related state laws and regulations limit the adoption of midwives and community-based care models.”
“Private insurance coverage also varies by insurer and state, leading to inequitable access to midwifery care across the United States — a particularly acute problem for those seeking care in community settings. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation found that Black and Hispanic women, who are more likely to be uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid, have limited to no access to midwifery-led care.”
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Excerpts from: The Commonwealth Fund; ISSUE BRIEFS, MAY 5, 2023; How Expanding the Role of Midwives in U.S. Health Care Could Help Address the Maternal Health Crisis; AUTHORS: P. Mimi Niles, Laurie C. Zephyrin.
