Texas is one of the lowest-performing states when it comes to women’s health outcomes, according to a new report released Thursday morning by a national women’s health nonprofit.
The Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 Women’s Health and Reproductive Health State Scorecard analyzed data on maternal mortality, insurance access and other factors in all 50 states and Washington, DC.
The study ranked Texas 50th overall. Only Mississippi had worse health outcomes.
Texas has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country, banning abortion in almost all circumstances unless a doctor determines it is necessary to save the pregnant patient’s life or protect her health.
Dr. David Radley, who helped collect and interpret the data for the Commonwealth Fund study, said states with the most restrictive abortion policies, such as Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi, also have the fewest obstetric and maternal care providers.
“There are concerns that abortion bans or restrictions, especially where state laws are vague, could increase the litigation risk faced by health care providers and further reduce the number of health care providers offering obstetric care,” Radley said.
According to a March of Dimes report, 46% of counties in the state are defined as obstetric care deserts, meaning there are no obstetric care centers or obstetricians in these counties. People seeking care must travel an average of 30 miles to find a doctor in a medical desert, and some may travel up to 70 miles to find the nearest birthing hospital.
It’s not just health care providers that are hard to access in Texas: The state also ranked last in the country for access to and affordability of health care, according to the report. The study found that 22% of Texas women ages 15-44 don’t have health insurance, and 27% don’t see a doctor when they need to because they can’t afford it.
Pregnant women in Texas are generally eligible for Medicaid, but it often doesn’t cover the time they go uninsured, said study author Sarah Collins, vice president of the Commonwealth Fund.
“This means that if women are poor or have low income, they may have less access to health care, and may go into pregnancy in poorer health than if they had health insurance,” Collins said.
Radley says these disparities in insurance and access to health care are one of the reasons Texas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation.
“Other studies and reports know that inadequate access to health care before, during and after pregnancy, combined with disparities in socioeconomic status, underlying health status and quality of care, contribute to U.S. maternal mortality rates being higher than other high-income countries,” Radley said.
