Black Mothers in America

Why Racial Discrimination in the American Healthcare System is Disproportionately Killing Black Women

Abstract

The United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality among high-income countries, despite spending the single-largest percentage of GDP on healthcare. This burden disproportionately afects Black mothers who experience a maternal mortality ratio that is four times that of White mothers. Tis case study demonstrates that the disparities in maternal outcomes between Black and White mothers are rooted in racial discrimination. This racial inequality manifests in part through increased allostatic load as a result of intergenerational experiences of racism; unequal access to high quality insurance coverage; and racial discrimination by healthcare practitioners. Potential interventions to explore include federal and state employment regulations that lessen the socioeconomic barriers preventing Black Americans from accessing quality insurance coverage; crosscultural training programs in healthcare facilities and teaching institutions; and a systematic shif toward holistic models of childbirth. Tough these interventions can serve to diminish the consequences felt on the individual level, collaborative multi-systemic change is necessary to address the social determinants of health that result in poor maternal outcomes on a national level.