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Kimmel takes a second shot at Cassidy over health care bill

For the second straight night, Jimmy Kimmel used the monologue of his ABC talk show on Wednesday to rail against Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., over the “horrible” new health care bill he and Sen. Lindsey Graham are co-sponsoring, firing back at Cassidy for claiming he “does not understand” the proposed law.

“Oh, I get it, I don’t understand because I’m a talk show host,” Kimmel said. “Well, then help me out. Which part don’t I understand? Is it the part where you cut $243 billion from federal health care assistance? Am I not understanding the part where states would be allowed to let insurance companies price you out of coverage for having preexisting conditions? Maybe I don’t understand the part of your bill in which federal funding disappears completely after 2026? Or maybe it was the part where the plans are no longer required to pay for essential health benefits like maternity care or pediatric visits?”

Kimmel wasn’t done.

“Or the part where the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Hospital Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, Lung Association, Arthritis Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, ALS, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the March of Dimes, among many others, all vehemently oppose your bill?” he asked. “Which part of that am I not understanding? Or could it be, Senator Cassidy, the problem is that I do understand and you got caught with your G-O-Penis out? Is that possible? Because it feels like it is.”

“Jimmy doesn’t understand, not because he’s a talk show host — because we’ve never spoken,” Cassidy said on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning. “He’s only heard from those on the left who are doing their best to preserve Obamacare.”

On Tuesday night, Kimmel tore into Cassidy, who appeared on his show earlier this year after the late night host made an emotional plea to ensure all Americans have access to health care. He disclosed at the time that his newborn son needed lifesaving heart surgery.

The Louisiana senator assured Kimmel that he would only support a health care bill that guaranteed children like Kimmel’s would receive the coverage they need no matter how much money their parents make, which Cassidy called the “Jimmy Kimmel test.”

“This guy, Bill Cassidy, lied right to my face,” Kimmel told viewers on Tuesday.

Related: Fact check: Sen. Bill Cassidy on his health care bill assertions

On Wednesday night, Kimmel also took aim at other critics, including “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade, who accused the comedian of “pushing [his] politics on the rest of the country.”

“I found this comment to be particularly annoying because this is a guy, Brian Kilmeade, who whenever I see him, kisses my ass like a little boy meeting Batman,” Kimmel said. “Oh, he’s such a fan. He follows me on Twitter. He asks me to write a blurb for his book, which I did. He calls my agent, looking for projects. He’s dying to be a member of the Hollywood elite.”

Kimmel continued: “The reason I’m talking about this is because my son had an open-heart surgery, then has to have two more, and because of that, I learned that there are kids with no insurance in the same situation. I don’t get anything out of this, Brian, you phony little creep. Oh, I’ll pound you when I see you. That is my blurb. That will be my blurb for your next book. ‘Brian Kilmeade is a phony little creep.’ That’s right.”

On “Fox & Friends,” Kilmeade took the high road in his response to Kimmel.

“I hope your son gets better,” Kilmeade said. “I hope your son gets all the care he needs. I’m glad you’re interested — you’re doing a great job bringing the dialogue out. But you should do what we’re doing: talk to the people that wrote it.”

President Trump has come out in support of the GOP’s latest effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, saying he will sign any such legislation that is put on his desk.

“He just wants to get rid of it because Obama’s name is on it,” Kimmel quipped. “The Democrats should just rename it ‘Ivankacare’ — guaranteed he gets onboard.”

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