In an assessment of premature births in each U.S. state, the March of Dimes gave the nation a D on their first annual Premature Birth Report Card, released on Wednesday. No state received an A.

The report aims to highlight premature birth, which affects about 530,000 babies each year in the U.S. Being born earlier than 37 weeks of gestation is the main cause of death in the first month of a baby’s life. It also leads to severe illnesses such as blindness, hearing loss, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and asthma.

The March of Dimes gave only Vermont a B. At the opposite pole, 18 states earned an F. Eight American states got a C (for instance New Hampshire, California, Oregon and Connecticut counting among them) and 23 states received a D (Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts counting among them).

The situation seems outrageous. “It is unacceptable that our nation is failing so many preterm babies,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, Ph.D., president of the March of Dimes. “We are determined to find and implement solutions to prevent preterm birth, based on research, best clinical practices and improved education for moms.”

The rate of preterm births in the U.S., which costs the nation about $26 billion a year, is "more than 60% higher" than the Food and Drug Administration’s goal (7,6 percent), having risen by more than 15 percent from 1995 to 2005, the March of Dimes said.

The report also revealed that many women of childbearing age (ages 15 – 44) have no health insurance coverage, so they miss their chance to know whether their medical conditions may lead to delivering a baby before the standard period of pregnancy is completed.