Jimmy Kimmel Slams New Healthcare Bill and Says Sen. Bill Cassidy "Lied to My Face"

He has used his show's monologues to speak out in favor of universal healthcare since he revealed in May that his then-newborn son had undergone heart surgery

By Corinne Heller Sep 20, 2017 3:11 PMTags

News flash to Jimmy Kimmel: Politicians are politicians.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host has used his show's monologues to speak out in favor of universal healthcare since he revealed in May in an emotional announcement on his show that his and wife Molly McNearney's second child together, son William "Billy" John Kimmel, had undergone emergency heart surgery to treat a congenital defect soon after he was born. He has also spoken out against President Donald Trump, who wants to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.

Soon after his announcement about his son's ailment, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is also a gastroenterologist, told CNN that any healthcare bill should "pass the Jimmy Kimmel Test," meaning it would cover a child with congenital heart disease. He then appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and was asked by Kimmel if he thinks "every American, regardless of income should be able to get regular check-ups, maternity care, all of those things that people who have healthcare get and need?"

"Yep," he said, blinking.

Fast-forward to last week, when Cassidy and fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a new healthcare bill that waives regulations that require insurers to cover certain benefits, would allow states to opt out of Affordable Care Act protections for consumers, give block grants to states to run their own healthcare programs and end an expansion of Medicaid for lower-income patients and the disabled.

"This new bill actually does pass the Jimmy Kimmel Test," Kimmel said on Tuesday's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! "But a different Jimmy Kimmel Test. With this one, your child with a pre-existing condition will get the care he nees if, and only if his father is Jimmy Kimmel. Otherwise, you might be screwed." 

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Celebrity Mean Tweets From Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Watch: Jimmy Kimmel Brings 5-Month-Old Son to First Public Outing
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Kimmel called the current bill a "scam."

"Most of the congresspeople who vote on this bill probably won't even read it and they want us to do the same thing, they want us to treat it like an iTunes service agreement," he said. "And this guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied right to my face."

"So 'yep,' is Washington for 'nope,' I guess," Kimmel said.

Cassidy said on CNN's New Day Wednesday, in response to Kimmel's monologue, "I'm sorry he does not understand."

"There are more people who will be covered under this bill than under the status quo," Cassidy added. "Everybody fears change. Even if it's worse to better, they don't want change."

In his monologue Tuesday, Kimmel also turned to his critics. He has often come under fire from conservatives and other opponents of the Affordable Care Act over his political comments and has occasionally responded to them on Facebook.

"Before you post a nasty Facebook message saying I'm politicizing my son's health problems, I want you to know I am politicizing my son's health problems," he said. "Because I have to."

"My family has health insurance," he said. "We don't have to worry about this. But other people do. So you can shove your disgusting comments where your doctor won't be giving you a prostate exam once they take your healthcare benefits away."

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