Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel had harsh words for a lawmaker who told him that he’d put all health care bills under what the senator called the “Jimmy Kimmel Test,” then announced his support that many believe goes against that pledge.
Kimmel , during Monday night's show, said that Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) "lied right to my face" when the senator talked about his "test" on any health care bill proposed back in May. The test would make sure that "No family should be denied medical care, emergency or otherwise because they can't afford it."
Kimmel said that, “He [Cassidy] agreed to that. He said he would only support a health care bill that made sure a child like mine would get the health coverage he needs, no matter how much money his parents make.”
Cassidy teamed up with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dean Heller (R-NV) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) for the bill that, according to Cassidy, repeals Obamacare and replaces it with grants that are given each year to states to help the population pay for health care, CNN reported.
The grants will be run through the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
Cassidy, during his appearance on the show in May, said that lifetime limits would not be set. But in the bill as it stands, itwill be up to individual states to run the health care programs as lawmakers in state capitals see fit, meaning that states can decide if there are caps or if someone with a preexisting condition will be charged more for their coverage, The Washington Post reported.
The Washington Post reported that the bill could lead to a per capita cap on Medicaid. Some states may turn to a single-payer system. Other states could eliminate coverage for some who need it or make it so expensive that some can't afford it.
Kimmel announced in May that his son had to undergo open heart surgery shortly after he was born. Kimmel said that if a child has to have multiple open heart surgeries, the cost can be hundreds of thousands of dollars each.
Kimmel has urged his viewers to call their senators and tell them their views on the proposed bill. He posted the number to the Capitol Hill switchboard to his Twitter page.
Despite Kimmel calling Cassidy a liar on his show, Cassidy has not responded directly to the monologue, CNN reported. Cassidy did release the following statement:
"We have a September 30th deadline on our promise. Let's finish the job. We must because there is a mother and father whose child will have insurance because of Graham Cassidy Heller Johnson. There is someone whose pre-existing condition will be addressed because of GCHJ."
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