ALISON STEWART:

The number of women in the U.S. who die in childbirth is nearing the highest rate in a quarter-century. An estimated 18.5 mothers died for every 100,000 births in 2013, compared with 7.2 in 1987.

The Post reports that this translates to, quote, "a woman giving birth here is twice as likely to die than in Saudi Arabia and three times as likely than in the United Kingdom."

"Washington Post" reporter Danielle Paquette, who wrote the story, joins us.

Danielle, in your piece, there is a startling line, and I am just going read it. It says, "the United States is the only advanced economy in the world with a rising maternal mortality rate."

What is going on in this country as opposed to other advanced economies that is causing this problem?

DANIELLE PAQUETTE, REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, Alison, this problem confounds a lot in the medical community. There is not one thing driving the problem.

Experts I have spoken to tell me that certain parts of the country there is — there are gaps in health insurance coverage, especially in the South. For example, Mississippi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates, that the state did not expand Medicaid.

There's something like 100,000 people who don't have access to any healthcare. And many of them are women. We have in Mississippi 160 doctors for every 100,000 residents. That drives part of this problem.