The TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel has said a US senator “lied to his face” about a proposed healthcare bill that guarantees medical coverage for families.

A few months ago, Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue about the heart defect of his new-born son, Billy. His son’s surgery led to astronomical costs and Kimmel said: “No parents should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life.”

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy appeared on Kimmel’s show that same week and coined the phrase ‘The Jimmy Kimmel test’ – could a middle class family be able to pay for an operation like Billy’s? This was not necessarily unexpected from Senator Cassidy, who was a doctor before he was a politician. He has worked for almost three decades in a charity hospital in Louisiana.

On Tuesday Kimmel said on his late-night show: “He agreed to that. He said he would only support a healthcare bill that makes sure a child like mine would get the health he needs, no matter how much money his parents make.”

The presenter said it was therefore a surprise that the senator put his name to the Cassidy-Graham Bill, which was praised on Wednesday by Donald Trump as "great" and "an end to Obamacare".

Under the provisions of Cassidy-Graham, Medicaid funding will be given as a lump sum to each state. No provisions will be set as to how that money is spent or adjustments to be made based on need. It is also up to the discretion of the state whether to increase premiums based on a person’s previous medical history. Senator Cassidy said on Twitter last week: “We need to return the power back to the states and patients.”

According to the Centre for American Progress the bill would mean that “at least 32 million fewer people will have coverage after 2026.”