In 2024, more than one-third of U.S. counties were considered maternity care deserts, which has drastically been made worse by Republicans gutting nearly $1 billion from Medicaid
Washington, D.C. — Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J., are sounding the alarm on the devastating impact that Trump and Republican’s Big Ugly Bill is having on the already weak maternal health care system in the U.S.
“Maternity wards across America are shuttering their doors as a direct result of Republican Medicaid cuts,” said Wyden. “For all their talk about being the party of ‘family values,’ Republicans are going out of their way to make it more difficult, dangerous, and expensive to start a family in this country. As these providers disappear and care evaporates, mothers and babies will pay the ultimate price.”
Trump’s disastrous health care legislation has done nothing to improve health care in America, it has only weakened it. Most states rely on Medicaid to fund maternal health wards, but after Republicans gutted nearly $1 trillion in funding from Medicaid, Americans are witnessing the fallout as states are forced to cut funding for birthing centers and obstetric clinics.
The report shares how Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill is forcing maternity care providers to all out close, cut back services, and halt expanded plan services across the country.
The report shares testimonials from workers in hospitals in states where Medicaid cuts have already been costly, and forced some closures. Now, many of these states are preparing for the worst, as hospitals and clinics alike are being forced to make the devastating decision to close their maternity wards, just to stay afloat.
All of this news comes as the United States is continuously given one of the worst maternal mortality rates of any developed country. Disproportionately, these rates negatively impact black women more than any group.
Wyden has long been a champion of maternal health care. In 2024, Wyden introduced the Keeping Obstetrics Local Act (KOLA), which aimed to bolster and preserve rural hospitals and clinics obstetric programs.
Read the full report here.
A web version of this release is here.
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