Jimmy Kimmel has been a mainstay in late night comedy for over a decade, hosting ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live since 2003.
While most Americans know Kimmel for his quick wit and hilarious monologues, most of us knew very little about his private life, until now.
On Monday night, Kimmel revealed during his opening monologue that his recent absence from his show was due to his newborn son having severe heart defects after delivery.
Kimmel’s monologue is usually reserved for the day’s current events, but on Monday, the comedian delivered a powerful message to the world about his son. The ABC host informed his audience that after his wife gave birth to their son, he had to have emergency surgery, but luckily the couple was able to take their baby home.
Kimmel joked that, “We had atheists praying for us, O.K.? And I hate to say it — even that son of a [expletive] Matt Damon sent flowers” [a reference to the long-standing feud he has with Damon.]
Kimmel powerfully explained that “If your baby is going to die, and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make. I think that’s something that, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?”
Kimmel then used his son’s illness to make a plea for ObamaCare:
We were brought up to believe that we live in the greatest country in the world, but until a few years ago, millions and millions of us had no access to health insurance at all. Before 2014, if you were born with congenital heart disease like my son was, there was a good chance you’d never be able to get health insurance because you had a pre-existing condition. You were born with a pre-existing condition. And if your parents didn’t have medical insurance, you might not live long enough to even get denied because of a pre-existing condition.
While Kimmel’s son’s illness is certainly a tragedy, his promotion of ObamaCare is misguided. Forcing Americans into one-size-fits-all healthcare plans, rather than allowing each family to pick and choose which health care services fits them, thus driving up the costs of their medical needs.
A 50-year old couple does not need to pay for maternal care and by including those services in their health plan, they drive up the cost of their health insurance. By allowing each individual to select the services they want in their health plan, you can lower costs, making care more affordable for all Americans.
The Hill’s Gayle Trotter tweeted out the fallacy in Kimmel’s argument:
Pace @jimmykimmel, increasing federal government control of health insurance and care (a la Britain’s NHS) will not save babies from dying. pic.twitter.com/tJcok61uYw
— Gayle Trotter (@gayletrotter) May 2, 2017
Kimmel’s son had tetralogy of Fallot which is a heart defect present at birth. Symptoms of this defect include episodes of bluish color to the skin. The defect occurs in approximately 1 in 2,000 newborn babies.
If the defect goes untreated it can have a mortality rate of 35% in the first year of life and 50% mortality rate in the first three years of life.
Thankfully the defect was caught early and Kimmel and his wife were able to take their son home days later.
H/T: New York Times
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kimmel and his wife! We hope their son has a speedy recovery and a long and healthy life!