New State Scorecard Reveals Wide Disparities in Women’s Health and Reproductive Care

July 31, 2024

A new Commonwealth Fund scorecardcomparing state health system performance on women's health and reproductive care reveals significant disparities across the US. In particular, the researchers found 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 Careis 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.