AUSTIN (July 15, 2012)--The debate in Texas over whether to implement the new federal health care law fully has little to do with health care, and a lot to do with ideology and politics.

Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs summed it up best when he said the question is not whether to pay for poor people's health care, but who will pay.

Right now county property taxes pay for the uninsured.

The Affordable Care Act would shift the burden to the state and bring in federal matching funds.

Gov. Rick Perry and other Republicans want Washington to transfer the money and let the states decide how best to spend it.

State officials estimate more than 24 percent of Texas residents don't have health insurance, which is the highest percentage in the nation.