Aug 14, 2007 11:39 pm US/Pacific
1,000 Uninsured SF Residents Enroll In Health Plan
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―
The first 1,000 uninsured San Francisco residents have been enrolled in a program that provides access to primary and preventive health care, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday in Chinatown.
"Every day, San Francisco is one step closer to making sure that its uninsured residents have access to an organized system that provides affordable, quality health care," Newsom said in a prepared statement. "We've reached a significant milestone."
The Healthy San Francisco program provides uninsured residents with a medical home where they can receive emergency and mental health care and pharmaceuticals.
On July 2, the program's first phase of implementation began at Chinatown Public Health Center and North East Medical Services.
Under the program, uninsured residents who may never have gone to a doctor in San Francisco are now receiving needed primary care.
More health centers are expected to enroll in the program in September. Program officials say they will be continuing to target residents who have incomes at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level.
The program, which is administered by the San Francisco Department of Public Health in partnership with the San Francisco Health Plan, will be phased in within a two-year period.
"Our enrollment success proves that Healthy San Francisco is the right direction for our city," Newsom said.
Not everyone is entirely pleased with the plan.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White is scheduled to hear arguments Aug. 31 on the fate of a restaurant owners' lawsuit challenging part of the health plan.
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association has asked White to overturn a requirement for employer contributions on the ground that it conflicts with a federal law.
Beginning in January, employers will be required to contribute either by spending a set amount per employee or by giving a similar amount to the city program for uninsured people.
The restaurant group contends that provision conflicts with the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act because the U.S. law is the exclusive regulator of employer health plans.
But City Attorney Dennis Herrera said the plan doesn't conflict with the law because employers are free either to keep or modify an existing plan or to make payments to the city.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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