Obama To Barrasso: Is A $40K Salary Enough To Afford Health Care?

During the recent health care summit, an exchange between Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and President Obama revealed how out of touch Republicans are in terms of the financial realities of many Americans. The issue was whether guaranteeing catastrophic coverage is enough to reform health care:

Obama: Would you be satisfied if every member of Congress just had catastrophic care–you think we’d be better health care purchasers? I mean, is that a change you think we should make?
Barrasso: I think actually we would. We’d really focus on it. We’d have more, as you say, skin in the game. And especially if they had a savings account–a health savings account–they could put their money into that, and they’d be spending the money out of that.
Obama: Would you feel the same way if you were making $40,000? Or if that was your income? Because that’s the reality for a lot of folks.