The report, part of the California Health Care Foundation's Health Care Almanac, provides an overview of the delivery of maternity care in California and compares the state’s performance by demographic groups, over time, and against national numbers. The report cites 2012 California Health Interview Survey data on female population and births, by household income.
Key report findings include:
Over the last 15 years, births in California have been on a downward trend, declining 5% from 2000 to 2014.
Medi-Cal covered nearly half of all births in California in 2014.
California has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality rates, in contrast to the nation, whose rates continued to rise. While all race/ethnicity and age groups in California have experienced reductions in maternal mortality rates, there were still substantial differences across racial/ethnic groups.