US women have highest risk of dying in labor of any wealthy country – and they can’t afford care

Women in the US are more distressed, more diseased and more likely to die during childbirth than those in other wealthy nations – but they pay more for healthcare, a new study finds.  

In the US, more than one third of women said that they skipped going to a doctor or hospital when they were ill or injured, simply because they were afraid they couldn’t afford the bill. 

That’s a problem, considering that 20 percent of American females have one or more chronic disease, according to the new data. 

In line with previous research, the Commonwealth Fund also reports that for 14 mothers die for every 100,000 children born, reflecting the abysmal state of maternal care in the US. 

For every 100,000 babies born in the US, 14 mothers die – a higher maternal mortality rate than any other wealthy nation has, a new report finds 

In the US, 44 percent of women (orange) report struggling to pay medical bills, as compared to just two percent in the UK (far left) 

In the US, 44 percent of women (orange) report struggling to pay medical bills, as compared to just two percent in the UK (far left) 

Women’s health care has emerged as a significant public health issue in the US. 

As long humans have been walking the earth, women have been giving birth to children. 

Yet, despite a history that far outstretches our knowledge of other top causes of death – like heart disease, diabetes and cancer – childbirth remains the sixth leading cause of death for US women. 

Rates are higher in developing nations, but the mortality risks and disease burden faced by American women underscore gaps in understanding and care. 

The Commonwealth Fund sought to compare health risks and outcomes for women in the US to those for women around the world – particularly those living in similarly wealthy nations. 

Researchers there analyzed survey data collected on over 9,000 women worldwide. 

Though their samples from each country were small, the findings were consistent with prior research. 

Women in the UK were, by and large, happy with their health and medical care, with 62 percent rating the care ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’ 

By contrast, less than a quarter of the American respondents rated their quality of care highly. 

In a similar vein, only five percent of women in the UK said that, in the last year, they have opted not to see a doctor out of fear that they couldn’t afford the bill. 

One third of women in the US said that they had had at least one issue with a medical bill. 

For over a quarter of American women, medical costs for themselves or their families exceeded $2,000 in a single year. By comparison, just five percent of women in the UK spent that much. 

For every 100,000 babies born in the US (orange), 14 mothers die in pregnancy or childbirth - twice as many as perish in Canada 

For every 100,000 babies born in the US (orange), 14 mothers die in pregnancy or childbirth – twice as many as perish in Canada 

Perhaps those high expenses were among the reasons that over one third of women in the US reported opting out of doctor appointments – even when they knew they needed to go. 

Financial stress may have been on of the drivers of high rates of ’emotional distress’ among American women, 34 percent of whom reported serious depression, anxiety or difficulty coping.  

‘The relationship between emotional distress and health is complex, but some research shows as well as lead to such as the ability to work,’ the researchers wrote. 

And women in the US have poorer physical health than those in any other wealthy nation. 

Indeed, 20 percent of the American women surveyed had multiple chronic conditions, such as arthritis, lung disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. 

When women became pregnant, risks that the healthcare system would let them down only increased. 

Rates of complications and C-sections are high in the US, where twice as many women die in pregnancy or childbirth than do in its northern neighbor, Canada. 

Breast cancer screening rates are best in the US out of the 11 countries involved in the study, but otherwise, the authors note: ‘Women in the United States have long lagged behind their counterparts in other high-income countries in terms of access to health care and health status.’ 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk