Misunderstood. Ignored. Alone. Afraid. These are just some of the feelings voiced by pregnant Medicaid enrollees who struggle to access emotional care. With The Invisible Weight of Pregnancy, we revealed the unaddressed mental health challenges of Medicaid enrollees, and explored why they are more likely to experience neglect—rather than compassion. You can explore the full report here.
Our research exposed some key struggles that are especially significant for pregnant people on Medicaid, when compared to those on employee-covered insurances:
- 52% felt their pregnancy was more difficult than expected (+6% above employee-covered)
- 28% felt misunderstood by the healthcare system (+6% above employee-covered)
- 11% had a request for emotional help ignored (+5% above employee-covered)
- 56% felt alone with their dark, difficult, or negative emotions (+11% above employee-covered)
- 35% were not able to discuss their dark, difficult or negative emotions with anyone (+11% above employee-covered)
Behind these shocking statistics are real people—with real issues, and real frustrations—who feel neglected by the US healthcare system, because of their insurance coverage or the color of their skin.
"I felt like being in the Medicaid system, you're just a number, and you're not really treated with compassion. I felt like I was treated like I was dumb.”
– Interviewee, 37 years old
The pregnant Americans we heard from surfaced tremendous strength, resilience, and wisdom as they offered words of support to help guide others in need. You can read their words here.
Improving access to emotional care
The Invisible Weight of Pregnancy exposed an urgent need for more equitable access to mental health care during pregnancy. Now that we’re aware of the problem, how can we change it? To start, we’ve created a blueprint for better emotional care. Check out Mapping a better future for maternal mental health to learn more.
Nonfiction Pregnancy Study 2022 n=1,029 respondents
