(AURN News) — Hospitals are closing maternity wards, and health experts warn President Donald Trump’s Medicaid cuts could lead to more closures.
According to The Guardian, the advocacy group Protect Our Care reports that 52 maternity wards have closed since July 2025, with eight more announcing plans to close.
Hospitals in Virginia and Georgia have cited upcoming Medicaid policy changes among their reasons for closing maternity wards.
March of Dimes warns that Medicaid funding cuts and restrictions could leave more communities without nearby maternity services. Medicaid covers roughly four in 10 births in the U.S.
For Black women, the stakes are especially high. The CDC’s latest annual figures show that in 2024, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was more than three times that of white women.
Closing a maternity ward can force families to travel farther for care, while experts warn that financial pressures on hospitals could worsen.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @ebonymcmorris & @aurnonline.
