GAO puts Alaska's maternal death rate at 25.7, based on 17 deaths

Alaska's maternal mortality rate stands at 25.7 deaths per 100,000 births, according to a federal report published Thursday, above the national rate of 21.8. The report's own footnote tells readers not to lean on the number.

The Government Accountability Office published GAO-26-108690, a question and answer report to congressional requesters on maternal mortality review committees. Alaska's line in the state table, covering 2018 through 2024, shows 17 maternal deaths, the rate of 25.7, and a 95 percent confidence interval of 15.0 to 41.2. The United States line shows 5,613 deaths, a rate of 21.8, and an interval of 21.3 to 22.4. The footnote says the rate "is based on fewer than 20 deaths and should be interpreted with caution." Nationally, more than 600 women die each year during pregnancy or from pregnancy-aggravated causes, and the CDC estimates over 80 percent of those deaths are preventable.

The table also counts less than Alaska's own review committee does, since maternal deaths there are limited to those within 42 days of pregnancy's end while review committees examine deaths within a year. "Thus, these data do not include all of the deaths that MMRCs review," the notes say, abbreviating the review committees. Alaska's 2025 review examined 16 pregnancy-associated deaths from 2021 through 2024 and found all but one preventable, with substance use contributing to 13 of the 16 deaths, mental health conditions to 11, and discrimination to 10.

Alaska is one of ten states in what the office calls a nongeneralizable sample, selected for variation in geography, number of deaths, mortality rate, and racial and ethnic distribution. Nationally, the report says Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women die at a rate 2.5 or more times higher than White women. Nine of the ten committees made health equity recommendations, including one urging American Indian/Alaska Native representation in maternity care planning. As of June 2026, the CDC and tribal partners were exploring a tribally led review committee.

At a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on July 15, 2026, Senator Lisa Murkowski said, "We have to do a better job as we're addressing maternal mortality issues and ensuring that our Native communities are adequately represented in the data that helps inform."

Representatives from five committees told GAO their states extended Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum on committee recommendations. The report names none of them. Alaska's own record shows Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced Senate Bill 58, which extended coverage from 60 days to 12 months and raised the income limit from 200 to 225 percent of the federal poverty level. Dunleavy signed the bill on July 19, 2023. The Department of Health consulted tribal health leaders in October 2023, writing that it anticipated the amendment would positively impact tribal beneficiaries. As of July 2026, 49 states and the District of Columbia had extended postpartum coverage to 12 months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans about $134 million to 52 states and territories through 2029. As of July 1, 2026, it had not allocated funding for the program's evaluation plan.