Outrage everywhere because House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) had the nerve to tell people they should prioritize their budget. On CNN, he spoke about healthcare with Alisyn Camerota:
“Well, we’re getting rid of the individual mandate. We’re getting rid of those things that people said that they don’t want,” Chaffetz replied. “Americans have choices, and they’ve got to make a choice. So rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care.“They’ve got to make those decisions themselves,” Chaffetz added.Camerota asked if health care will “require some sacrifice” for lower income Americans.”We have to be able to lower the cost of health care,” he said. “We do think that with more choices, that you will get a better product at a lower price and that will be good for everybody on the entire spectrum of income.”
Outrage came quick on social media against Chaffetz, but is he wrong? No.
Thanks to Obamacare, the majority of us have had to deal with rising health insurance costs, changing plans, etc. It has caused a lot of us to budget.
Could he have worded it better? Maybe, but the analogy stands.
If you or your family cannot afford your healthcare costs, maybe you shouldn’t buy a $700 smart phone or other expensive wants.
It’s a harsh truth for some, but those of us who have accepted reality, we have already embraced them. Taking on plans with a higher deductible means some of us have already had to go through our budget and decide which items we can cut out.
It’s called adulting.
The remarks from his fellow congressmen are just as disturbing:
Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Indiana, later said on “CNN Newsroom” that Chaffetz’s comments were “unwarranted at this time.””We don’t want people to make choices in their life having to choose health care and leaving out other parts of their life that everyone else enjoys,” Bucshon said.House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also pounced on Chaffetz’s remarks, tweeting they are “offensive and show a lack of both understanding and compassion.”
Well, unfortunately, the choices made by Congress have forced us to choose health care over other items we enjoy in our life.
I find it adorable that Pelosi has lectured Chaffetz on a lack of compassion and understanding. Lack of compassion came from the Democrats when they shoved Obamacare down our throats, turning our lives upside down.
The Washington Post decided to compare the iPhone and healthcare “the right way,” but it’s a silly argument. Yes, surgeries and major health issues cost way more than an iPhone, but that $700 could go a long way towards treating a health issue.
Former President Barack Obama made similar comments back in 2014:
“I guess what I would say is if you looked at that person’s budget and you looked at their cable bill, their telephone … cell phone bill, other things that they’re spending on, it may turn out that they just haven’t prioritized health care because right now everybody is healthy,” he said.“Nobody actually wants to spend money on health insurance until they get sick,” he added.
Chaffetz later admitted that he could have worded his thoughts better on CNN:
“What we’re trying to say — and maybe I didn’t say it as smoothly as I possibly could — but people need to make a conscious choice and I believe in self-reliance,” he said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” “And they’re going to have to make those decisions.”
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