America has a birthing problem — let’s make maternal care more accessible  

Why is it so expensive to give birth in America? In a word: supply.  

There’s a severe shortage of maternity wards across large swaths of the country. Today, more than one-third of U.S. counties lack a single hospital maternity unit or obstetric provider. Not coincidentally, America suffers a troublingly high maternal mortality rate.

America needs to deliver better results for our mothers and children. Fortunately, a solution is in plain sight: let urgent care clinics and ambulatory...