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From 3/17:
Asked at a White House briefing Tuesday if Americans would have to choose between cell phones and health coverage under the proposed plan, Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price said Americans are already "having to sacrifice in order to purchase coverage."
A 2013 Pew survey found that among low-income people (those making about $30,000 or less), only 13% used an iPhone that year. And nearly 1 in 4 -- 23% -- of smartphone owners have had to cancel or suspend their phone service due to financial constraints, according to a 2015 Pew study.
Later Tuesday morning, Chaffetz walked back his remarks, though he stood by his argument that Americans would need to better prioritize health care spending under the new plan.
"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."
Jim - what you're forgetting is poor(er) people don't have access to computers at home or Ipads and so use the phone as you and I use a computer. They don't have the M-F, 9 to 5 job and need the phone to get work, stay in touch w/employers in ways you can't do w/a non smart phone. Plus the cost of an iphone is close to the cost of 1 month of individual coverage. Prob. 1/3 the cost of family coverage.
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