Senate

GOP senator: ObamaCare repeal must pass ‘Jimmy Kimmel test’

by Jordain Carney - 05/05/17 10:34 AM ET

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on Friday that a Senate plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare should pass the “Jimmy Kimmel test,” after the comedian revealed his son was born with a heart defect.

“I ask, does it pass the Jimmy Kimmel test? Will a child born with congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in the first year of life? I want it to pass the Jimmy Kimmel test,” Cassidy told CNN when asked if he could support a plan that included yearly or annual insurance caps.

He added that the “simple answer [is] I want to make sure folks get the care they need.”

{mosads}Kimmel made an impassioned plea on Monday night for keeping ObamaCare, revealing during a nearly 13-minute monologue that his son was born with a heart defect.

House Republicans passed a replacement plan on Thursday that included a provision allowing states to apply for waivers for community rating, one of of ObamaCare’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

If a state repeals the measure, it could allow insurers to go back to charging exorbitant premiums to people based on their health, a move that could price many out of being able to afford insurance.

The Senate is expected to move slowly and make major changes to the House’s legislation as it tries to figure out a plan that could win over 51 senators.

“The Senate will write its own bill, that’s clear. [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell [R-Ky.] has made that clear,” Cassidy said, asked if he could support the House bill in its current form.

He added that he’s introduced legislation with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that would “take care of people with pre-existing conditions.”

Tags Mitch McConnell Susan Collins