Worsening US Maternal Death Rates

The 2021 US maternal mortality rate is more than 10 times the rate of other high-income countries, according to a March 2023 CDC report. In this Q&A, JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, is joined by Monica McLemore, PhD, MPH, RN, University of Washington, Audra Meadows, MD, MPH, UC San Diego, and Joia Crear-Perry, MD, founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, to discuss these concerning numbers and why preventable death rates are worsening in the US. Related Content: Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States Worsening US Maternal Death Rates US Maternal Mortality Is Unacceptably High, Unequal, and Getting Worse—What Can Be Done About It? Trends in Maternal Mortality and Severe Maternal Morbidity During Delivery-Related Hospitalizations in the United States, 2008 to 2021