By Joy Burkhard, MBA
Founder and Executive Director, 2020 Mom

The U.S. has the highest suicide rates among wealthy nations, according to a new report that looked at how health and care in the U.S. stacks up globally. In 2016, the suicide rate here was 13.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 people — while the U.K. had the lowest rate of the 11 high-income countries in the report, at 7.3 suicides per 100,000 people.

At the same time, another new report from the Well Being Trust highlights 4% of insurance payments went to mental health care in 2017 and that Americans continue to have to go out of network to find treatment. The report notes steps federal policymakers can take to improve mental health in the U.S., including equalizing payment to mental health professionals.

Maternal mortality: A new report released today by the CDC using death certificate data found the average rate was 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. The rate among Black women was more than twice the average. These statistics differ from those shared by another division of the CDC, as the gold standard for determining maternal mortality rates is not use of death certificate data but intensive case review offered through state maternal mortality review committees. If state committees follow CDC guidelines, states can adequately determine maternal suicide rates too. Learn more.