After the final U.S. presidential debate Thursday night, it's understandable for people to be feeling a little exhausted. It’s easy to become apathetic in a race as emotionally-charged as this one but Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity on his post-debate show to remind his audience what is really at stake for this election south of the border. Sharing a moving video made by his screenwriter wife Molly McNearney about their 3-year-old son Billy, Jimmy reminded us that actual lives are at stake.“We're less than two weeks away from the election. There's more than just a Presidency on the line. There's so many atrocities coming out of this White House every day, it's easy to get distracted, but I want to bring us back to focus on something we can't afford to forget and that is health care,” he started. “The vast majority of this country agrees that health insurance should cover Americans with pre-existing conditions but the Republican party—and that includes the President and members of Congress—the only plan they have is to do away with protections for pre-existing conditions.”
Kimmel continued, “If they're allowed to do that, millions of people are going to suffer. This is not a partisan issue. Four out of five Americans want this—Democrats and Republicans. Two-thirds of Republicans want this! But the vast majority of Republicans in office don't. They say they do; they'll tell you they do; but their actions say the opposite. So my wife Molly made a video that deals with our experience when it comes to pre-existing conditions and we'd like you to watch this, and pass it around to anyone who may have forgotten what this election is really about.”Jimmy then rolled the 3-minute tribute to Billy Kimmel who was born with congenital heart defects (Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmnary Atresia) and spent his first weeks alive in the Intensive Care Unit, transferred from one hospital to another, and the first year of his life saw him endure three different heart surgeries to save his life.[video_embed id='1936640']RELATED: Jimmy Fallon's daughter adorably crashes an interview because she lost a tooth [/video_embed]The emotional video, set to piano music, really demonstrates the love Jimmy and Molly have for Billy, but also the rollercoaster they endured trying to save his life and the excellent care Billy received because they had health insurance. It goes on to point out that people, including many children, with pre-existing conditions (which is what Billy's heart condition is classified as) are covered under the Affordable Care Act (sometimes known as Obamacare). The video demonstrates that many lawmakers want to remove healthcare protections for those with pre-existing conditions like Billy, and as such, many families would go broke trying to save their loved-ones' lives. The video ends with a healthy and growing Billy, thriving after his ordeal, and encourages everyone to vote.*sniffle* We’re not crying, YOU’RE… no wait, it actually is us crying.You might remember three years ago, Jimmy was away from
Jimmy Kimmel Live! to be with his wife and stay by Billy’s side after Billy’s birth, and the historically non-political comedian very
emotionally and passionately spoke about the ordeal when he returned to the show. He also brought Billy
on to the show about six months later after one of his surgeries to share his progress.There has been a lot of noise during this tense election year south of the border, but this is an excellent example of how cutting through the BS and getting to the heart of the matter truly reveals what’s important to everyday people.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Golden Retriever answers questions with 'yes' & 'no' buttons [/video_embed]
