Jimmy Kimmel: Sen. Bill Cassidy ‘Lied Right to My Face’
Health Care

Jimmy Kimmel: Sen. Bill Cassidy ‘Lied Right to My Face’

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The Graham-Cassidy bill to replace Obamacare suffered two very public blows Tuesday night. Hours after a bipartisan group of 10 governors joined groups like the AARP in opposition to the legislation, ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel weighed in, criticizing the plan and slamming Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), one of the sponsors of the bill.

In May, Kimmel had told viewers about his newborn son being born with a heart defect that required immediate surgery, and he went on to praise the Affordable Care Act for expanding health insurance coverage, including for people with pre-existing conditions, like his son. “If your baby is going to die and it doesn't have to, it shouldn't matter how much money you make," Kimmel said.

Shortly after, Cassidy, who was promoting earlier Obamacare replacement legislation he was co-sponsoring, created what he called the Jimmy Kimmel test for health reforms: “Would a child born with congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in the first year of life?”

On Tuesday night, Kimmel tore into Cassidy for failing his own test:

“So last week, Bill Cassidy and Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a new bill, the Graham-Cassidy bill. And this new bill actually does pass the Jimmy Kimmel test, but a different Jimmy Kimmel test. With this one, your child with a preexisting condition will get the care he needs — if, and only if, his father is Jimmy Kimmel. Otherwise, you might be screwed.”

Kimmel went on to play a clip of Cassidy’s May appearance on his show, during which Cassidy “yep” when Kimmel asked if he believes that “every American regardless of income should be able to get regular checkups, maternity care, etc.” And the host listed a number of prominent groups opposing the Graham-Cassidy plan before urging viewers to call the congressional representatives and voice their opposition to the bill.

Kimmel ended his monologue with another message for Cassidy: “Stop using my name. Okay? Cause I don’t want my name on it. There’s a new Jimmy Kimmel test for you, it’s called the lie detector test.”

Watch Kimmel’s full monologue:

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