Illinois Medicaid Expansion for Mothers

Each year, 700 mothers die from pregnancy related causes in the United States, and the maternal mortality rate is getting worse.  America is the only industrialized nation in the world trending in the wrong direction. Like many issues of health, maternal mortality disproportionately affects Black mothers, who are two to three times more likely to die during childbirth than white mothers. And according to the CDC, two thirds of the yearly 700 deaths are considered to be preventable.

The 21st spoke to a reporter with Illinois Public Media who’s been covering this issue and the associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s School of Social Work and member of Illinois’ Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

Guests:

Christine Herman, Health Reporter for Illinois Public Media 

Karen Tabb Dina, Ph.D., Associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s School of Social Work and member of Illinois’ Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

Read Christine's NPR story: As Pregnancy-Related Deaths Rise In The U.S., Experts Say Expanding Medicaid Is Key

Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi

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