Without knowing anything about your friend other than what you've alluded to, my guess is that she was trying to say that we should all be collectively taking public policy more seriously BECAUSE it's literally life-or-death for many Americans. Or, at least, its ramifications can lead to a significantly reduced quality-of-life.

Considering that alongside of the points you've brought up in this piece: I still maintain it's a good rule-of-thumb to evaluate each declaration on a case-by-case basis.