That first part of that quote is accurate. The 2nd part is not. Just like the scenarios in posts 97 & 103, even great aid can be thousands of $$ apart in cost. That also does not factor in merit aid that kids competitive for Ivy admissions are eligible for at lower ranked schools.
So for those families who cannot afford their expected familial contribution (and there are a lot of them), it is a very real consideration. Just for 2 of our 8 kids, these are the very real scenarios we have faced in choices in the past 4 yrs:
for our college sr–competitive schools for 23k-35k/yr or lower ranked school chose to attend for $0/yr
For our college fr-- competitive schools for $20k-35k or lower ranked school chose to attend for ~$6000/yr (quite a bit less after freshman yr due to on-campus living/food plan requirements for freshman.)
Those are very, very real considerations for our family and other families who see $80k+/child as a significant amt of $$. It may not be a serious consideration for some families, but that does not make the statement a universal truth for all families.