Jimmy Kimmel shares photo of son ‘doing great’ as he continues battle against Trumpcare
Popular comedian and late night host Jimmy Kimmel updated the public on the status of his infant son, who when his rare heart defect was revealed.
"Billy is three-months-old and doing great," Jimmy Kimmel tweeted.
The host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" had revealed in May that his son Billy was born April 21, 2017 with a blocked pulmonary valve and a hole between the sides of his heart known as Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with Pulmonary Atresia.
On April 24, the newborn underwent successful surgery at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.
A week later, Jimmy Kimmel grew teary-eyed on air while telling the world the story. The funnyman turned his son's health crisis into a rallying call for all children to have the health care they need.
“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,” Kimmel reminded.
The argument came at a critical time in the Trumpcare debate.
“If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make,” the star said while fighting back tears. “I think that’s something that, whether you’re a Republican, or a Democrat, we all agree on that, right?”
One conservative senator even coined the phrase, "Jimmy Kimmel test" as a benchmark for whether to support GOP bills to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
“I ask, does it pass the Jimmy Kimmel test? Will a child born with congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in the first year of life? I want it to pass the Jimmy Kimmel test,” Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said. “We have got to have insurance that passes the Jimmy Kimmel test.”
Former President Barack Obama praised Jimmy Kimmel for standing up for all children.
“Well said, Jimmy,” wrote Obama. “That’s exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations!”
In his update on Billy's health, Kimmel asked viewers to, "remind your Congresspeople that every kid deserves the care he got."
