Cassidy: Kimmel ‘just doesn’t understand’ health care proposal

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) fired back at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday for his criticism of the Louisiana Republican’s health care proposal, saying the comedian “just doesn’t understand” the legislation. 

“Jimmy doesn’t understand, and not because he’s a talk show host, because we’ve never spoken,” Cassidy said on “Fox & Friends.” “He’s only heard from those on the left, who are doing their best to preserve ObamaCare. He’s not heard from me — we’ve not spoken — and I would love to talk to him about this.”

In a scathing monologue on his show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Tuesday night, Kimmel took particular aim at Cassidy, accusing the senator of breaking his promise to push for a health care plan that would pass the “Jimmy Kimmel test.”

Cassidy introduced the latest GOP plan to repeal and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act along with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) earlier this month.

{mosads}That measure ultimately seeks to give more power to the states by ending federal ObamaCare insurance subsidies and the Medicaid expansion and replacing them with block grants to the states. 

Kimmel addressed health care on his show in May, when he revealed that his infant son had been born with a congenital heart disease and called on lawmakers to ensure that people with pre-existing conditions could obtain affordable health insurance.

Cassidy said Wednesday that his bill does just that, saying that Kimmel was not considering “families in Maine, Virginia and Missouri” who would benefit under the proposal. 

“It gives billions to states like Maine, Virginia and Missouri — that their states don’t have right now — that those lower-income families can have access to insurance and care for their pre-existing — he just doesn’t understand that,” Cassidy said Wednesday.

“And I say that not to provoke, but just to actually ask for him to at least consider those families in Maine, Virginia and Missouri.”