Report: Ohio gets C-, U.S. gets D+ on maternal mental health

Nearly every state in the country is doing a poor job meeting the mental health needs of new and expecting mothers, according to a new national report (Source: “Most states receive D’s, F’s in maternal mental health report card,” The Hill, May 15).

The report from the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health gave 24 states D grades and five states received a failing grade for their efforts to help recent or expecting mothers with their mental health. States were graded across three categories: providers and programs, screening and screening reimbursement and insurance coverage and treatment.  

Ohio was given an overall grade of C-, with a D for providers and programs, an F for screening and screening reimbursement and a B for insurance coverage and treatment.

Only three states earned higher than a C+ on the report card — California, Pennsylvania and Washington. California earned the highest grade out of all 50 states, receiving a B+, in part due to the state having one inpatient maternal mental health treatment program and its expansion of Medicaid coverage a year postpartum, according to the report.  

Overall, the country earned a grade of D+, a slight improvement from what the nation earned in the think tank’s 2023 maternal mental health report cards. Last year, the U.S. earned a D grade, and 40 states plus Washington, D.C., received D’s or F’s.