'It's Insane': Child Costs Limit Growing Families, But What If Government Paid To Have Babies?
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in May that births dropped to a 42-year low in the United States. But what if the government paid you to have a baby?
There are partisan talks in Congress about a monthly child allowance for parents, with one goal being to boost fertility in a declining population.
Family planning is on pause for Allison Bellanti and not by choice. Now that her youngest daughter, Elizabit, is about to turn one, this was the time she wanted to go for child number three, but the costs that come with that have Allison hitting the brakes on another baby.
"It's insane. It's absolutely insane," Bellanti told CBS13. "And both me and my husband have really good jobs and we can still barely afford it. Much less the thought of having another one."
Bellanti is not the only one hesitating to have a baby. The year 2020 marked the sixth consecutive year the number of births dropped in the U.S.
That's partly why Congress is considering incentivizing fertility with growing concerns over a decreasing workforce and fewer people to care for an aging population.
"I could see it working for some people. I could definitely see it working because you're getting the extra income to help support the kids," said parent Rodney Halsey.
David King already has seven children.
"I don't think you can pay me to have another kid," he said. "I think the motive of having a kid is not cash. It's your values and your morals in terms of family."
Democratic Assemblymember Richard Bloom of Santa Monica applauds the bipartisan effort to incentivize growing families, but while a single incentive might work to boost the population, he says what's more important, and especially in California, is cutting costs and making housing more affordable.
"I think what's more important is to set a tone that welcomes families to California that says we value having children in our state," said Asm. Bloom.
After all, for Bellanti, $1,500 a month just for childcare put her out of the baby business.
"Unfortunately, we cannot have another child because we can't afford the costs," said Bellanti.
Incentivizing childbirths is already seen in several other countries, especially as a response to low birth rates in places like Finland, Estonia and Japan. In fact, according to Money.com, Estonia rewards people for having more children – and the larger the family, the more money you get.