The only question that remains is how Obamacare will be implemented by the states. The choice is pretty clear: either a state takes the federal money and works to implement the program or it fights against it, losses out on the money and their citizens suffer. There’s lots of heated rhetoric on all sides, but this is what it pretty much boils down to.

Here is where the math comes in. If we as a state sign up for Obamacare, 513,000 uninsured will get coverage and the percentage of uninsured will drop from about 19% to about 5%. The way it currently operates is that Obamacare will pay 100% of the cost of covering these new people until 2016 and after 2016, the states have to begin to kick in a little money. It will be 5% of the new cost from 2016 to 2019 and then after that the states will pay 10%.

To most of us, this seems like a no brainer – our people get covered and the feds pay most all the cost. The worst we can do is after 2019 and we will put up one dollar and Obama Care puts up nine dollars. I don’t know many folks who would turn down a 9:1 deal, but [South Carolina Republican] Gov. [Nikki] Haley and many statehouse Republicans want to do just that. They say that we can’t afford to put up our share.

To argue that South Carolina cannot afford the small additional funding required is just not so … ..