Enrollment in San Francisco Health Plan Could Be Split
Enrollment in San Francisco's health access plan could be divided between two start dates under a new proposal intended to alleviate some businesses' concerns about the program, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/28).
The San Francisco Health Access Program is intended to provide access to health care services to San Francisco's uninsured population.
The program is expected to cost about $200 million annually, with the city contributing $104 million that it already spends on medical care for the uninsured and premiums from plan members expected to generate $56 million. Businesses are expected to contribute $28 million through an employer-contribution mandate developed by Supervisor Tom Ammiano.
Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) signed the law in August 2006 (California Healthline, 1/16). About 82,000 San Francisco residents are uninsured.
Ammiano on Tuesday introduced a measure that would delay until Jan. 1, 2008, enrollment in the program for city residents whose participation in the program would be funded by their employer. Enrollment for other city residents would begin July 1, 2007, as stated in the original law.
The measure also would permit contributions from employers to health care reimbursement accounts that the San Francisco Department of Public Health maintains.
Newsom supports the modification to the program (San Francisco Chronicle, 2/28).