Americans shrug over falling birthrate

return2ozma@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 196 points –
Americans shrug over falling birthrate
newsweek.com
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Lol. How much does it cost to have a child in the hospital in the USA again? Oh, $18,865 you say? Huh. What if they need an ambulance to get there? Oh, $500 to $3000 depending on distance you say? And you say also that US Bureau of Labor and Statistics is letting us know that in four short years our grocery prices have risen 22.04% and are expected to rise another 5.11% per year indefinitely? Meanwhile corporate profits increase every single year and minimum wage has been stagnant for decades? Someone should get them quick!!! I think I figured out why no one wants to have babies anymore! I would like to also comment on how obscenely expensive daycare is and how fucked up it is we have to put children in school 40 hours a week just so we can keep working more than half our lives away but I feel like anyone reading this gets the idea. They will be begging your ass to have babies in the next 100 to 200 years if we make it that long and I'll bet you all those obscene expenses will be an even greater cost to income ratio then, too. I mean if birthrates are a problem you have to ask yourself are they just fucking stupid or just fucking greedy?

The future is bleak. The least I can do is not create another person to inflict it on.

While the cost of children, lack of support and stagnant wages are definately a factor, birth rates have declined even in countries where income inequality is lower and support for parents is higher.

It is not going to be an easy problem to solve.

Its not a problem. A consistent population is much easier to plan for financially and socially.

Yea it’s only a problem when you need to perpetuate a pirimid scheme.

But declining birth rates won't lead to a consistent population, it will lead to a falling population.

The replacement level birth rate is 2.1 children per woman. The US is at 1.6 but the yearly population growth rate is trending back up due to immigration. Worldwide the birth rate is still at 2.6. Experts estimate that the population will continue to increase up until 2060 before it will start to plateau or gently fall to a homeostasis.

For us and everyone we know it was under $200. I'm not saying that everyone is going to have our levels of insurance but you are greatly exaggerating.

The biggest cost by far is childcare hands down.

Edit: I know I know, a $2500 median out of pocket expense hurts everyone's head cannon.

is this written into the law as covered before deductible and maximum out of pocket?

Yes and yes although the latter can be quite high. I'm not saying our healthcare isn't insane, I'm just saying it costs nowhere near 18k outside of edge cases. In reality full time daycare will run you 22k/yr for a moderate cost of living area and is, by a long shot the most expensive portion until college.

I mean if i get to maximum out of pocket its a bit over 7 grand now which tends to be about the same as my monthly cost on the insurance for the year and one kid will raise my monthly cost from spouse only to family (although keep em coming as after that they are all free). One decent surgery can pretty much push to max out of pocket. Of course that is max out of pocket for what is covered. Like this machine that automatically ices and puts pressure on an area and is proven to have better outcomes from surgery is not covered (one of the many health insurance chicken contests. sure we will pay more because you will have more issues if you don't get it but you will have to live with lower quality of life). Anyway just some perspective on cost because while not 22k it can get up there.

Yes, in edge cases. None of it, even the extreme edge case, adds up to the 80k in daycare until college. For the large majority birth is a trivial concern vs the loss of income or daycare.

This is basic math.

well im not sure I consider myself and edge case but I get your point.