3 months ago
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco isn't waiting for Washington, and that's got some lawmakers on Capitol Hill looking to the city as a model for national health care reform.
Health San Francisco is the nation's first city-run universal health care plan. While it's not insurance and not valid outside the city, most uninsured adults are already reaping the benefits of the two-year-old program.
It now covers more than two-thirds of those who previously had no insurance. It assigns patients to a health clinic, provides preventive exams and long-term care for chronic conditions such as diabetes.
About $20 million of the $126 million cost comes from employers who are required to contribute to their workers' health care. That aspect is the most controversial. The city's restaurant association has sued the city over the mandate.
But Mayor Gavin Newsom describes the program as pragmatic, saying it saves money by keeping people out of the emergency room.
The Associated Press
