"Well said, Jimmy." Obama welcomes Kimmel to the fight to defend health care

In a monologue on his show and a video that has gone viral online, Kimmel told audiences about the ordeal his family recently endured when his newborn son Billy underwent open heart surgery after a defect was discovered. The surgery was successful and the baby was sent home, and Kimmel used his airtime to thank the doctors and nurses who had helped his family.

Kimmel went on to explain to the audience that, before the passage of Obamacare, people with a defect like Billy’s would have been classified as having a pre-existing condition and uninsurable. The health care law changed all that, but the repeal proposed by Donald Trump and Republicans would undo those provisions.

KIMMEL: 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.

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?

President Obama certainly agrees:

Well said, Jimmy. That's exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations! https://t.co/77F8rZrD3P

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 2, 2017

The provisions mandating insurance coverage for people with a pre-existing condition are among the most popular elements of the law, and the conflict with the Republican Party over removing them while Democrats remain solid in support, is creating a nightmare for Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and the GOP as a whole.

On the other side of the battle are popular figures like President Obama, and now Kimmel, making the case that the likely victims of Republican health care policy are not abstract notions, but innocent children who need real help.