More Than One Third of U.S. Counties Are Maternity Care Deserts, Report Finds

Health

11 August 2026 at 4:20 pm

More Than One Third of U.S. Counties Are Maternity Care Deserts, Report Finds

HyperFast News

Summary

Over one-third of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, lacking hospitals, birth centers, or obstetric clinicians, a situation that has remained largely unchanged since 2016 and is expected to worsen due to policy changes like H.R. 1, which will cut Medicaid payments. These deserts disproportionately affect rural areas and lead to poorer outcomes for mothers and babies, with staffing shortages and inadequate reimbursement contributing to the problem.

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