“They're facing a september 30th deadline. It's a race
against the clock! They've got 10 days to overhaul the
healthcare system or everybody lives!" "But it isn't just the
fact that trump doesn't know anything that has made this bill
so unpopular, there's also the fact that it betrays virtually
everything he campaigned on. It is quite literally a massive tax
cut for the wealthy paid for by taking health care away from
millions of people.” “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, if you're a republican or a
democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right? I mean
we do.” “Ohhh shut up. Can’t you just be funny? What about the
comedy? Does politicizing your baby with a pre-existing health
condition pass the Jimmy Kimmel humor test?” These are things
people say when they A) Don’t bother to read things and just
trust someone is doing the right thing for them -spoiler alert,
they aren’t- and B) Are turning into sociopaths thanks to blind
ideology. Seriously, do I have to make a video explaining why
we should give a shit about each other? That human suffering is
bad? That children shouldn’t die because their parents aren’t
very wealthy? That even that tool Jimmy Fallon is starting to
understand the weight of what’s going on?
(LAUGHTER & APPLAUSE)
Even Though tonight show is not a political show, it is my responsibility
to stand up against intolerance and extremism as a human being.
You may have been following the story of a better, late night
talk show host also named Jimmy, Jimmy Kimmel, and his 5 -month
old son, Billy. Billy was born with a rare heart defect, a
pre-existing condition that could turn deadly, if his
parents couldn’t afford to pay to treat him. Luckily for Billy,
his dad is very wealthy, but what about kids of middle class
parents? What about low-income families? Do their lives mean
less? Kimmel, being decent, decided that no, no one deserves
the misery of watching their kid die because they can’t afford to
save them. No one should have to bury their children because of
shitty healthcare. So, Kimmel started speaking out about it.
Even though Republican healthcare bills wouldn’t affect
him personally, he spoke out about it. And because he is
famous, people actually listened to a real, flesh-and-blood
problem, instead of mentally distancing themselves or
deciding it could never, ever happen to them. And when
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy lied to Kimmel’s face, saying
his bill would cover kids who need care, no matter how much
money their parents had, Kimmel called him out too. “We want
quality, affordable health care. Dozens of other countries
figured it out. So instead of jamming this horrible bill down
our throats, go pitch in and be a part of that, I’m sure they
could use a guy with your medical background. And if not?
Stop using my name. Okay? ’Cause I don’t want my name on it.
There’s a new Jimmy Kimmel test for you — it’s called the lie
detector test. You’re welcome to stop by the studio and take it
anytime.” And it was absolutely the right thing to do. Yes, even
though he’s an entertainer. Yes, even though entertainers
typically don’t talk about politics and support the status
quo. I want to be clear-- this is not a left and right issue,
and if you’re picking a side based on that, you’re an
asshole. This is a profound moral issue. This is an issue
where politicians abandon their constituents in favor of sweet
sweet campaign donations from health insurance companies
which, by the way, make money by booting sick people off their
rolls and to their deaths and have spent billions fighting
universal health care instead of, you know, treating patients.
This is an issue of Obamacare being fine (not perfect, but a
major step up), but Republicans fighting tooth and nail to kill
it because it has the word Obama in it. The GOP had YEARS to come
up with a functional, comprehensive health care
alternative, and instead are trying to force yet another
rushed, awful plan that will irreparably harm us. Did you
know the Graham-Cassidy-Heller plan will terminate coverage for
an estimated 32 million Americans? It will also cut
coverage for seniors, children, and people with disabilities,
bring back lifetime limits and discriminates against people
with pre-existing conditions (and yes, that represents 52% of
Americans under 65 and WILL result in many unnecessary
deaths). It’ll also send premiums into an estimated 20%
spike this year alone, cut medicaid, cut state medical
funding (in particular, blue state medical funding), severely
impact rural hospitals, and eliminate essential services--
which includes emergency care, mental health care, and
hospitalization. And let’s say you’ve committed the sin of
being a woman-- birth control isn't covered, pregnancy,
maternity, and newborn care aren’t included, and if you’ve
ever been pregnant, your annual premium could shoot up to 17k.
Have metastatic cancer? Make it 172K. Do you have that much
extra money lying around? Do you want to bet that much you won’t
get cancer? With this horror show of a “plan,” if you don’t
die, you’re probably bankrupt. Are Republicans TRYING to force
a bunch of people into Real-Life Breaking Bad? This is literally
the premise from the pilot. So yeah, comedians, celebrities,
and other notables are politicizing like never before.
Because they have to. Because fans see them as humans, and if
they bring this distinctly human problem to light, people will
realize this healthcare plan is bad for humans and to treat it
agnostically, with the same or less significance than childish,
partisan line-drawing, is distinctly inhumane and immoral.
Trump created an environment so terrible and clearly for profit
over people, that comics have had to ditch their dick jokes
and silly dancing and instead present viewers with extremely
important topics that are literally life and death. So
when you complain that people politicize too much, maybe also
consider why they have to. AND FOR THE LOVE OF BREATHING, CALL
YOUR SENATOR NOW. I’m Kim Horcher, I wrote this. you can
follow me on twitter @kimscorcher, on facebook
@kimhorcherofficial and and on instagram @Kimhorcher