🇺🇸 AMERICA’S FERTILITY CRISIS HAS A PRICE TAG America’s fertility rate crashed to 1.6 in 2024, a historic low and far from the 2.1 needed for population replacement. Think about this, having a child in this country costs more than a year at a public college. Pregnancy through delivery averages over $20,000. Even with insurance, families face an estimated $2,700 in out-of-pocket expenses. And that’s before housing and childcare bills force parents to delay starting families by years. The result is one that is predictable: fewer children, more debt, slower growth, and a shrinking base to fund social security. The solutions aren’t complicated. Make childbirth far more affordable for families! It makes no sense why access to a family is rooted in such high numerical costs. Expand affordable childcare. Offer subsidies for parents who wait until later in life. These aren’t luxuries, they’re survival policies for a country. If this continues to get ignored, the U.S. doesn’t face a baby bust, it faces a demographic cliff. One can support those wanting a family with words, but without action at a granular level, unless lawmakers can make it affordable to actually have a family, the rhetoric may simply prove to be worthless. ...