New Data: Pregnant & Hours From the Nearest Doctor, The Real Cost of GOP Health Care Cuts
2.4 million women of reproductive age live in a maternity care desert
WASHINGTON, DC –– This week, March of Dimes released a new report that spotlights how Medicaid cuts are forcing women to travel hours to receive maternal and reproductive care. Right now, labor and delivery units are closing their doors and hospitals are shutting down due to Medicaid cuts from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.The latest data from Reproductive Freedom for All and Impact Research finds that Americans across the political spectrum are nearly as opposed to a national abortion ban as they are to middle class tax increases and sweeping cuts to Medicaid:
More than 74 million Americans rely on Medicaid for health care, including essential reproductive services like birth control, wellness exams, sexually transmitted infection tests and treatment, breast and cervical cancer screenings.
Medicaid provides coverage for nearly 1 in 4 rural residents, including 23.3% of women of childbearing age living in rural areas.
Medicaid covers nearly half of all rural births and provides essential financial stability to the hospitals and clinics that rural areas rely on to access care.
Gowri Buddiga, Campaign Director for Free & Just released the following statement on the latest findings on the rise in maternity care deserts:
“Trump and Republican lawmakers are exacerbating the maternal health crisis by attacking access to affordable reproductive and maternal care. They are literally putting Americans’ lives at risk. Patients shouldn’t have to travel hours just to receive the care they need. Extremist Republicans have proven that they would rather prioritize pushing their dangerous agenda than ensure the wellbeing of women and families.”
Bottom Line: Republican cuts to healthcare funding will cause millions more women to lose access to healthcare and increase the number of women who die in the U.S. in childbirth.
If you are interested in speaking with patients, physicians, or advocates about their experience accessing rural maternal and reproductive care, please contact malachi@freeandjust.us.
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