As you may know, on May 1, 2017, Jimmy Kimmel spoke about the birth of his baby boy, Billy.
If you haven’t seen the clip, click here to watch.
Unfortunately, several hours after the birth of his baby, Jimmy and his wife Molly learned that Billy had a heart defect and needed surgery to save his life.
Jimmy thanked Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for providing Billy with amazing care. Because of the attentive staff and great care, his newborn son is home and doing well.
Jimmy’s message was extremely important and shows how far we have come in healthcare, and how far we have to go.
Friends, family, and readers have asked me some questions about what Jimmy had to say. Here’s my take:
Jimmy spoke about “pre-existing conditions.”
Question: What are pre-existing conditions and how do they affect healthcare coverage?
Answer: Pre-existing conditions are health problems that occur prior to the date new health coverage starts.
Jimmy is correct that prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), pre-existing conditions, such as birth defects, could prevent someone like baby Billy from getting coverage. They also enabled insurance companies to charge individuals more. The ACA now prevents health insurance companies from refusing coverage or charging more for pre-existing conditions.
Question: What is the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”)?
Answer: NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the nation’s medical research agency. Jimmy is correct that, despite initial plans to cut the budget for NIH, Congress increased its funding by $2 billion.
As a mother of two and a parent of a daughter born with a serious disease, I was touched by Jimmy’s message. It’s important to stay in the know about healthcare and healthcare policies, in case you or a loved one is impacted.
Congratulations to Jimmy Kimmel and his family on their baby boy!
To learn more about health care for your family, check out the Women’s Mind Body Wellness Summit. It contains 6 interviews by top female health professionals plus two workout videos and 3 bonus videos on mind-body wellness with MyHealthSpin founder Lori-Ann Rickard.
