The Gist: Georgia ranks low in WalletHub’s 2023 report on the best and worst states to have a baby, with particularly concerning figures in areas such as infant mortality rate, low birth-weight rate, and availability of pediatricians and family medicine physicians.
What Happened?: Personal-finance website WalletHub released a comprehensive report comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key measures of cost, health care accessibility, and baby-friendliness. The data set ranges from hospital conventional-delivery charges to annual average infant-care costs to pediatricians per capita.
By The Numbers:
- Georgia ranks 37th in infant mortality rate.
- The state is 49th in the rate of low birth-weight.
- It stands at 22nd in midwives & OB-GYNs per capita.
- Georgia is 46th in pediatricians & family medicine physicians per capita.
- It is 38th in child-care centers per capita.
- The state ranks 34th in parental-leave policy score.
Why It Matters: The report’s findings highlight the need for improvements in Georgia’s healthcare system, particularly in areas related to infant care and maternal health. The low rankings in infant mortality rate and low birth-weight rate are particularly concerning, indicating potential issues with prenatal care and overall healthcare accessibility.
