Maternal health
Ensuring safe, supportive, and healthy outcomes for parents and babies.
Maternal health refers to physical, mental, and emotional well-being in all stages of pregnancy, including prenatal care, safe childbirth, and postpartum support. Being able to access quality maternal health support helps improve outcomes for parents and babies, and reduces mortality and preventable complications.
In Minnesota, maternal health outcomes remain uneven and below optimal standards. Despite incremental progress, significant gaps persist in Minnesota communities when it comes to rates of cesarean births, timely access to prenatal and postpartum care, and severe maternal morbidity, which refers to physical or mental health conditions attributed to or worsened by pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal mortality also continues to be a concern, with a recent report from the Minnesota Medical Association showing that 95% of maternal deaths in Minnesota are considered preventable.
Focusing on maternal health is critical because it directly impacts the long-term health of families and communities. Healthy pregnancies reduce complications, improve infant health outcomes, and support economic and social stability. Addressing gaps in health outcomes by improving access to care and strengthening support systems can help ensure that every pregnancy in Minnesota is safe and healthy.
Current initiatives and programs
Working to improve the birthing experience and close gaps in access and outcomes
Our efforts to improve maternal health outcomes support the broader Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s commitment to reduce severe maternal morbidity and related complications. Our work is focused in three primary areas:
- Promoting early access to care
- Promoting health literacy and continuous access to care, while enhancing care coordination and monitoring efforts to reduce unnecessary C-section rates and emergency department utilization for members
- Strengthening and creating partnerships with community organizations and healthcare providers by prioritizing trainings that enhance care quality, remove barriers to access, and advance health education strategies
Current efforts related to these priorities include:
- Partnering with the American Diabetes Association to launch a webinar series focused on disparities in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) care, with an emphasis on advancing access to health resources. Learn more here.
- Incorporating designations related to birthing-friendly hospitals and the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care into the Excellence in Quality and Outcomes (EQO) certification program
- Advancing cross-team and community partnerships to increase access to doula services
- Supporting a series of community health education sessions focused on the importance of timely prenatal and postpartum care, in partnership with the Wellshare Mankato CHW Hub.
Past achievements
Building on a strong history
Blue Cross has long been committed to improving maternal health outcomes. Past efforts include:
- Maternal Health Food and Nutrition Pilot: Through a partnership between Blue Cross, Blue Plus and Nourished Rx, this “Food is Medicine” pilot provided high‑risk pregnant individuals with home‑delivered, medically tailored groceries and personalized nutrition coaching to support healthier pregnancies and improved birth outcomes.
- Maven: Blue Cross partnered with Maven to offer comprehensive, patient-centered virtual maternity and family‑building support—including 24/7 navigation, referrals, and coaching across 30+ specialties—to improve outcomes, enhance member experience, and lower total cost of care.
- Health in Her HUE: With support from Blue Cross, Health in Her HUE offers virtual care squads that provide culturally centered, clinician‑informed peer support groups to navigate anxiety and depression
- Lakewood Health System: In collaboration with Blue Cross, Lakewood Health System created the Todd County Promotores initiative, which funds a Community Health Coordinator to deliver patient-centered care and improve health outcomes for mothers and children facing unique challenges.
- Roots Community Birth Center: Blue Cross became the first insurer in Minnesota to cover Roots Community Birth Center’s services, helping the community centered practice grow.