Maternal deaths and disparities increase in Mississippi

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A newly released report from the Mississippi State Department of Health finds that an increasing number of mothers in the state have died in recent years due to pregnancy complications. Racial disparities in health outcomes have also widened. The report shows that between 2017 and 2019, overall maternal mortality increased by 8.8% from the previous period researchers analyzed, 2013 to 2016. Black women had a rate four times higher than white women. The report arrives as the Republican-controlled state legislature debates whether to extend Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year after childbirth.