Jimmy Kimmel’s heartfelt monologue yesterday, sharing his new baby Billy’s open-heart surgery with footnote questions to the administration’s proposed cuts to the Affordable Care Act is really a case study of how new media can very quickly promote or derail news.
Videos of the late night host’s tearful plea is already swaying public opinion and is certain to impact votes to repeal the Obama-era healthcare act on Capitol Hill this week.
Evan among impact investors, health care tops the list of concerns, according to a survey just two months ago (American Century report).
Kimmel’s Main Message
“If your baby is going to die, … it should not matter how much money you make…”
The Numbers
Youtube video – 7.5 million views
Facebook video – 18.5 million views
Instagram video – 181 thousand views
Twitter video – 91 thousand likes, 31 thousand retweets
Google Search – surged and spiked midday yesterday (see chart)
President Obama’s tweeted support – 425 thousand likes
(Numbers as of 0700 PDT May 3, 2017)
The Impact – What’s at Stake?
The latest bill requires insurers to provide coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, however, it also allows insurers to charge higher rates to those same patients.
If revised, states could obtain a waiver to allow insurers to charge higher rates based on the “health status” of a person if they let their coverage lapse.
Insurers could also offer policies that limit benefits for those with pre-existing conditions.
States could apply for permission to opt out of the law’s essential health benefits, including maternity, emergency care and mental health.
Up to $300 billion could be scrubbed from Medicaid.
The American Medical Association (AMA) and other consumer advocacy groups have called on Congress to vote against the measure.
House Democrats are united in opposition. House Republicans are currently short of the 216 votes needed to pass the bill – 20 have voted “NO” so far.
22 million Americans are projected to lose their healthcare insurance if the ACA is successfully repealed.
Source: Kimmel Live, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, AHCA Bill
