About Maternal Care
California’s labor and delivery (L&D) needs are changing. Over the past decade, the state’s birth rate decreased 21% and 50 hospital L&D units closed. This, coupled with disparities in health outcomes for Black mothers, has placed maternal health in California in the spotlight.
Hospitals are developing innovative approaches to providing maternity care, recognizing that access is key to improving outcomes and reducing disparities — but there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Charting a path forward on this complex issue requires considering a community’s unique needs, including access to facilities and clinical specialists, availability of prenatal and perinatal services, the distance patients must travel to receive care, and more.
Issue Brief: Protecting Maternity Services in California
Current California standards require health plans to ensure that their enrollees have timely access to medical care — such as being within 15 miles or a 30-minute drive from a hospital. Unfortunately, many people covered by Medi-Cal still face significant hurdles to access care.
Key Messages: Protecting Maternity Services in California
Approximately 3 million Californians live in areas with either no labor and delivery (L&D) hospital units or units vulnerable to closing. When an L&D hospital unit closes, moms and babies experience worse health outcomes.