Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz

The health of women is not a priority in the U.S. 

In a 2018 report, The Commonwealth Fund shared the results of a study of women’s health in eleven high-income countries; of them, American women fared the worse. Not only were American women unsatisfied with care received, but often neglected medical care due to cost. American women had more chronic illnesses diagnosed. They had the highest rates of maternal mortality.

A report issued four years later did not show improvement. Using data from the Commonwealth Fund’s 2020 International Health Policy Survey, conducted with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, writers Gunja, Seerval, Zephyrin, and Williams reported that U.S. “does a poor job serving women of reproductive age.”

According to that 2022 report, American women of reproductive age have higher rates of avoidable deaths. They continue to have the highest rates of chronic disease. They continue to neglect medical care due to cost and have difficulty paying medical bills. Mental health issues have increased. The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal deaths, with Black women “nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications.” These maternal deaths are the “bellwether for the U.S.’s wider failures with respect to women’s health and healthcare,” the authors wrote.

Although the news may seem grim, a woman’s situation could be exacerbated or eased depending on where she lives in the U.S. 

For example, a woman living in Boston, Massachusetts is more likely to have health insurance. According to information from Data USA, Boston has a 96.5 percent rate of insured residents. Jackson, Mississippi, in contrast, has an 89.2 percent rate. At the state level, the ratio for patients to doctors in Massachusetts is 671 to 1; in Mississippi, it is 1,890 to 1. 

An analysis from The New York Times ranking states according to their “measure of well-being,” places Mississippi at 48th place for the number of uninsured women; 45th for its maternal mortality rates; 50th for its infant mortality rates; and 50th for its child poverty rates. Mississippi is one of the states that chose not to expand its Medicaid program under the Affordable Health Care Act, according to the newspaper article.

In contrast, of the 50 states, Massachusetts sits in the top spot with a low rate of uninsured women. The state ranks 13th for its maternal mortality rates; 2nd for its infant mortality rates; and 10th for its child poverty rates, according to The New York Times. 

Information from Data USA shows that Black people make up the majority population in Jackson, Mississippi and have the highest poverty level. Women of all races aged 25-34 and 35-44 are the top two populations living in poverty. Girls of all races aged 6-11 make up the third highest population living in poverty in Jackson. In Boston, Black people are the second largest ethnic group, but rank third in poverty levels. Women of all races aged 18-24 and 25-34 are the top two populations living in poverty.