Where a woman lives matters to her health: U.S. states vary widely in access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes for women.
New State Scorecard Reveals Wide Disparities in Women’s Health and Reproductive Care
July 18, 2024
A new Commonwealth Fund scorecard comparing state health system performance on women’s health and reproductive care reveals significant disparities across the U.S. In particular, the researchers find wide gaps between geographic regions and between racial and ethnic groups in deaths among women of reproductive age and in access to essential health services.
The 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care is the Fund’s first comprehensive examination of women’s health care in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, based on the latest available data. Among the key findings:
States with abortion restrictions have fewer maternity care providers.
Rates of maternal deaths are highest in the Mississippi Delta region, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Regional disparities in deaths of women of reproductive age are pronounced, with the highest death rates seen in the Southeast.
The report raises concerns over the state of women’s health care and the ripple effects of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Its findings suggest that disparities could widen, with impacts experienced most acutely by women of color and women with low income who live in states that have restricted access to comprehensive reproductive care.
