Last night, Jimmy Kimmel aired a heartfelt and moving anecdote about a complication in the health of his newborn son, ultimately praising Obamacare for making healthcare affordable for people of all economic backgrounds with conditions similar to that of his baby. Joe Walsh, a former Tea Party Congressman from Illinois, retorted with a very characteristic reply:
Sorry Jimmy Kimmel: your sad story doesn't obligate me or anybody else to pay for somebody else's health care.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 2, 2017
Aside from giving a cold, callous, heartless comment, Walsh does not seem to understand the basic underlying principles of insurance. Nobody wants to pay for health insurance when we don’t need it, but everyone expects to benefit from it when we do. We pay into the system with the expectation that if and when we do happen to need medical care, insurance will cover it. Until you actually use your health insurance, the funds are used to “pay for somebody else’s health care.”
This is especially hypocritical coming from Walsh in that he has repeatedly come under fire for allegedly failing to pay $117,000 in child support. There seems to be a trend of Walsh failing to pay that to which he is legally bound.
So while Jimmy Kimmel’s “sad story” doesn’t obligate you, Joe Walsh, or “anybody else to pay for somebody else’s health care,” current law – Obamacare – does. Luckily, you are no longer in any position of power to make a decision otherwise.
To read Twitter’s response to Joe Walsh, click here.
What do you think?
