A new Commonwealth Fund report contains troubling news about the state of women's health and health care in the United States, with many of the problems linked to issues of affordability.
Compared with those in 10 other high-income nations, women in the U.S. have the highest death rates from complications during pregnancy and childbirth — 14 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with just four per 100,000 in Sweden. Women in the U.S. also struggle to afford health care relative to their peers. One in four U.S. women spends $2,000 or more out of pocket for health care, compared with fewer than 11 percent of women in most other wealthy nations.