San Francisco Hopes Health Access Program Reduces Hospital Costs
San Francisco officials hope the city's new universal health care access program will reduce the city's tab for covering hospital costs for uninsured residents, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Launched in July, the Healthy San Francisco program has expanded citywide to 14 health clinics and eight community clinics. The program seeks to enroll all 82,000 adult uninsured residents over the next two years.
The program is not health insurance, however, and only covers the cost of health care services within the city.
The goal of the program is to provide preventive care for uninsured residents and reduce the rate of chronic diseases, which increase hospitalization and leave the city with the bill.
Tangerine Brigham, director of Healthy San Francisco, said the program should cost $200 million the first year and will not require a tax increase.
Funding for the program will come from federal funds, membership fees and copayments, and employer contributions, pending the outcome of a lawsuit by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (Glionna, Los Angeles Times, 10/22).
On Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle rated San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's (D) first term, including his efforts to help create the Healthy San Francisco program (Vega, San Francisco Chronicle, 10/21).
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