Going rate for a baby delivery in the hospital was around ten thousand dollars last time I checked. I bet medicaid would absorb it but if you fall between dirt poor and middle class it sounds cripling.
The market exists in other countries: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-island-where-chinese-mother...
I am surprised american parents don't hedge their bets by getting a EU citizenship for their kid. If anything, the kid may benefit from free healthcare if they get something bad as an adult!
Germany: Children born on or after 1 January 2000 to non-German parents acquire German citizenship at birth, if at least one parent has a permanent residence permit (and had this status for at least three years) and the parent was residing in Germany for at least eight years.
France: Children born in France (including overseas territories) to at least one foreign parent who is also born in France automatically acquire French citizenship at birth.
Portugal: A child born in Portuguese territory to who does not possess another nationality is a Portuguese citizen. Also, a person born to foreign parents who were not serving their respective States at the time of birth is a Portuguese citizen if the person declares that they want to be Portuguese and provided that one of the parents has legally resided in Portugal for at least five years at the time of birth.
The rule is as complex as the French law can be... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_nationality_law#French_...
But basically, children born to foreign parents become French at their majority if they lived most of their childhood in France.
If you are very close to term, they won't let you fly at all.
Example policies:
http://www.etihad.com/en-au/experience-etihad/special-assist...
http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/help/articles/pregnancy-and-air...
I think the only viable option here if we want children (and their parents) in cities -- which would require buy-in from the older generation -- is to raise property / land taxes and use this to afford better schools and pre-K (so you're only on the hook for the first few years of the child's life), and to build more housing of course.
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...