Key facts
- 52 maternity wards have closed since July 2025 due to upcoming federal Medicaid policy changes.
- 8 more maternity wards have announced upcoming closures.
- New Medicaid work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks will affect many adults.
- About 40% of births in the US are paid for by Medicaid.
- The US has a maternal mortality rate of 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- The CDC's pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system team was placed on administrative leave in early 2025.
Maternity wards across the United States are facing a wave of closures as cuts to federal Medicaid funding and new eligibility requirements take effect, experts have warned. Analysis by the non-profit Protect Our Care indicates that 52 maternity wards have closed since July 2025, with an additional eight having announced their upcoming closure.
The new federal policy changes, fully effective in the new year, will impose work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks for many Medicaid recipients, while also reducing federal funding for states. Hospitals like Centra Southside Community hospital in Virginia and St Mary’s Sacred Heart hospital in Georgia have cited these upcoming Medicaid policy changes as reasons for closing their maternity wards.
Experts anticipate further closures of maternity units as the federal changes are implemented. Erin Jones, senior director of legislative and strategic counsel at March of Dimes, expressed deep concern that these changes will worsen the existing maternity care crisis, particularly impacting rural communities. March of Dimes has identified 31 at-risk rural hospitals with labor and delivery services, potentially leaving 96 counties without such units.
Approximately 40% of births in the US are funded by Medicaid. The country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income nations, with the CDC reporting 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. Benjamin Sommers, a professor at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, stated that the Medicaid changes will negatively affect pregnant women and specialist organizations, despite work requirements supposedly exempting pregnant women. His research suggests many women may not be enrolled in the Medicaid pregnancy pathway, leading to potential loss of coverage.
Vaishu Jawahar, director of policy and programs at Protect Our Care, noted that significant cuts to Medicaid will strain hospital finances, forcing difficult decisions like closing maternity wards, which are expensive to operate. In early 2025, the Trump administration placed the entirety of the CDC’s pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system team on administrative leave. An upcoming report suggests this action disrupted the collection of crucial data on maternal and infant health, hindering the study of recent trends.