Medicaid pays for about 40% of births in the United States, and as federal cuts approach, hospitals are closing the maternity wards that depend on it. Fifty-two units have shut down since July 2025, and experts warn that rural families may soon have to travel much farther to give birth safely. Researchers also caution that some pregnant women could lose coverage simply because their state doesn’t know they’re pregnant. With the U.S. already among the high-income nations with the highest maternal mortality rates, the stakes for mothers and babies are rising. Read more here.