HUME: But that — all right, that raises this question, Michael. Let’s address the politics of this. Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that they cobble together a bill along the lines of some — somewhere between the House and Senate bills that do these things. Both — both do similar things with Medicaid. What are the political consequences in the 2018 midterms?
NEEDHAM: Well, I think that it depends on what the party is capable of making the compassionate case for what’s going on. I mean when you look at this, there was a cruel element of Barack Obama’s Medicaid expansion that said the federal government is going to give more money to states for the able-bodied populations that they pass (ph), versus the populations that are more vulnerable, which cause many states to start ignoring or shifting their programs to — to care more about the abled bodied than the venerable. That’s not compassionate, that’s cruel. And I think that needs to be pulled back.
HUME: I understand. So what you’re basically saying, though, is, if they can make the right argument, they can avoid the political damage, is that it?
NEEDHAM: I think they can. I mean I think the biggest threat that they have is that this is not a repeal bill.
HUME: Right.
NEEDHAM: And so they’ve spent eight years telling people that they’re going to repeal ObamaCare. It doesn’t. And they’re going to have problems on their right flank about that.