After taking a week off from his ABC late-night show while his son, Billy, recovered from a second heart surgery, Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air Dec. 11 with the 8-month-old in his arms.
Kimmel transitioned into a monologue about the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which expired in October.
“Congress, about 72 days ago, failed to approve funding for CHIP since the first time it was created two decades ago,” Kimmel said. “This is literally a life-and-death program for American kids. It’s always had bipartisan support. But this year, they let the money for it expire while they work on getting tax cuts for their billionaire and millionaire donors.
“And imagine getting that letter, literally not knowing how you will afford to save your child’s life. This is not a hypothetical. About two million CHIP kids have serious chronic conditions.”
Kimmel urged his viewers to call their representatives and suggest they prioritize restoring CHIP funding. He has become an outspoken advocate for universal healthcare since Billy was born with a heart defect—tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary artresia, according to ABC. The condition can lead to blood not being fully oxygenated as it circulates.
Kimmel said Billy is doing “great” and will require one more surgery.
Read The Washington Post’s story on Kimmel, including a full transcript of his CHIP monologue, below:
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.