health insurance san francisco: A New Model

2008-04-07 12:45:49

( Health )



Maybe you have health insurance california, maybe health insurance san diego – but have you heard the latest innovations in health insurance san francisco?

The mayor of san francisco has often gone where other officials don’t like to venture. Now he is trying to give san francisco residents rights that don’t exist anywhere else in the nation – universal health care. So if you are uninsured and living in san francisco and need health insurance san francisco you could get basic medical services even if you can’t afford them. This universal health insurance san francisco isn’t free – but the costs are sharply reduced. Your enrolment fee depends on your income – and could cost anything from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. The average rate will be about $35 a month – HMO’s typically charge much more.

It’s part of a program which the mayor negotiated with business, labor and city leaders.

Who will benefit? – thousands of san franciscans who neither have health insurance san francisco nor qualify for Medicaid or Medicare.

Most of them are adults who are employed – others are self-employed, unemployed, have conditions like AIDS, cancer or diabetes or are homeless. Some undocumented workers could even benefit. All are adults because children already receive subsidized care.

It’s not technically an insurance – but really a health access program. But the program doesn’t reach outside the city or county limits. So an ER visit not in san francisco isn’t covered. Neither is dental or optometry work covered. You also have to apply for all federal and state benefits you can get.

This universal health care isn’t in place yet, though. It still has to be voted on and financing details have to be sorted out. The biggest problem is that it requires 15% of local companies to provide workers health insurance which they don’t currently do. This issue will involve some heavy debate and if the mandate ??? – a legal challenge is sure to follow. Why? – because a lot of small businesses would risk failing – because the mandate will apply to companies having the least ability to bear costs.

But if this local plan works out it could hopefully be a model for the nation.


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