The U.S. is one of 23 countries where maternal mortality is on the rise, though that may change once the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, comes into effect. New York City and California provide a glimpse into why the rates may be so high.
The future of pregnant women in the United States is on the threshold of dramatic change. Aug. 1 marks the day insurance providers and Medicaid will be required to cover preventative care for women.
But it doesn't stop there. By 2014, health insurance providers will be required to cover the full fee for reproductive health care--from contraception to post-natal checkups. Imagine, life without a co-pay for annual checkups, birth control visits and post-natal care.
Yet, America remains a part of an even more exclusive club. It is one of 23 countries where maternal mortality is steadily on the rise. The U.S. maternal mortality rates are higher--that is, proportionately more U.S. pregnant women or new mothers are dying--than in 49 other countries.
For over a decade, taking a pill like Truvada every day has been the standard of...
