A society' s infant mortality rate is an accepted indicator of that society' s general health status  Even though in some localities in the United States the rate is higher than in many developing countries, in the United States overall the rate has been steadily declining
This decline does not necessarily indicate, however, that babies in the United States are now, on the average, healthier at birth than they were in the past
The United States has been developing and has achieved extremely sophisticated technology for saving premature and low-birth-weight babies, most of whom require extended hospital stays.