Assignment Prompt & Instructions
**Florida: Maternal Health Access and Mortality Rates**
Getting access to maternal health in Florida varies greatly, mainly when comparing individuals who are insured to those who are uninsured. Eligible low-income women can get contraception services under Medicaid from the state, including support with birth control, IUDs, implants, and sterilization (Zielinski et al., 2023). However, not everyone from low-income or undocumented families has health insurance. In rural areas or among racial and ethnic minorities, women who lack insurance frequently discover that there are only a small number of providers available, they have to pay more out of pocket, and it is hard for them to get the time off needed for appointments. According to Zielinski et al. (2023) and, to an extent, Tolbert et al. (2024) in Kaiser Family Foundation’s (KFF) publication, since Florida did not opt for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, many people below the poverty line continue to be left without health coverage, especially women who are in their reproductive years. As a result, women do not always have consistent access to care during pregnancy, birth control, or reproductive advice.
Moving on, abortion in Florida is strongly regulated by law, per the KFF report. From May 2024, abortion is not permitted after 6 weeks, except when the mother’s life or the health of the fetus is at risk (Frederiksen et al., 2024). Patients who are eligible for the process in Florida are required to meet with a counselor and wait 24 hours between their consultation and their procedure. Such laws are stricter on uninsured women and those unable to spare time or funds for long appointments, repeat visits, or remote clinics. The lack of access can mean that people receive care later or continue high-risk or unplanned pregnancies, which increases complications and lowers their quality of life (Grand-Guillaume-Perrenoud et al., 2022).
Thus, indicators on maternal and infant health in the state highlight these critical challenges facing the system. According to the World Health Organization report of 2023, per the Florida Department of Health (n.d.), there were 18.5 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births and six infant deaths per 1,000 live births. They go beyond the country’s standard rates and are particularly found to be higher among Black women and newborns. Numerous studies prove that a lack of complete reproductive care with abortion increases the chances of both women and babies dying. For those populations struggling with consistent access to contraception, unplanned pregnancies are often linked to two main things: late care for the mother and the baby, and poor birth outcomes. Also, issues are made worse by the combination of structural racism and unequal access to healthcare. Ensuring family planning, abortion, and maternal healthcare are available to those without insurance is essential to address many preventable deaths and ensure fair health outcomes in Florida.
**References**
Florida Department of Health. (n.d.). _Maternal deaths (all) – rate per 100,000 live births_. FLHealthCHARTS. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from [https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?cid=0392&rdReport=InfantDeath.Dataviewer](https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?cid=0392&rdReport=InfantDeath.Dataviewer)
Frederiksen, B., Ranji, U., Diep, K., Gomez, I., & Salganicoff, A. (2024, August 14). _Women and abortion in Florida: Findings from the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey_. KFF. [https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/florida-women-and-abortion-2024-womens-health-survey/](https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/florida-women-and-abortion-2024-womens-health-survey/)
Grand-Guillaume-Perrenoud, J. A., Origlia, P., & Cignacco, E. (2022). Barriers and facilitators of maternal healthcare utilisation in the perinatal period among women with social disadvantage: a theory-guided systematic review. _Midwifery_, _105_, 1-29. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2021.103237](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2021.103237)
Tolbert, J., Cervantes, S., Bell, C., & Damico, A. (2024, December 18). _Key facts about the uninsured population_. KFF. [https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/](https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/)
Zielinski, M. R., Harvey, J., Jones, W., & Wen, J. (2023). Medicaid Expansion Case Study: Differences Between Florida and New York Medicaid Expansion Policy. _Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration_, _2_(2), 46-62. [https://doi.org/10.24926/jsepa.v2i2.5593](https://doi.org/10.24926/jsepa.v2i2.5593)
– a year ago