TruthOut: “A new report from The Commonwealth Fund shows that, despite better outcomes since the pandemic, the United States “continues to have the highest rate of maternal deaths of any high-income nation” in the world. Around four out of five of these deaths “are likely preventable,” the report states, suggesting that the U.S. could save lives through several societal and institutional changes, including shifting toward a universal form of health care. Examining the U.S. rate of deaths for pregnant people in the year 2022 — the most recent data available — shows that 22.3 individuals died for every 100,000 live births that occurred. That rate is 395 percent higher than the median rate of wealthy nations, for which 4.5 deaths per 100,000 were observed, using the most recent data available in all countries. Nordic countries fared the best, according to the report, including Norway, which reported zero postpartum mortalities for the year 2022. Mortality rates were far worse for Black people who had just given birth, the report found, with 49.5 deaths per 100,000 births being observed — a rate that is around 160 percent higher than the white postpartum mortality rate of 19 deaths per 100,000.”