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| Health care law |
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Healthy San Francisco is a program to subsidize medical care for certain uninsured residents of San Francisco; eligibility and services are limited, and the program website states that insurance "is always a better choice."[1] The program was established in 2006, when the Board of Supervisors adopted the Health Care Security Ordinance. The program is open to city residents, ages 18-64, whose incomes and net worth are low but who do not qualify for other public coverage, and who have had no insurance for at least 90 days.[2] Eligibility is not conditional on citizenship, immigration, employment or health status.[3]
The Health Care Security Ordinance included a requirement that employers with more than 20 workers spend at least a minimum amount towards employee health coverage. The minimum contributions for 2008 ranged from $1.17 to $1.76 per hour, depending on firm size. Small employers and non-profits with fewer than 50 workers are exempt. Employers can elect to satisfy this requirement by contributing to Healthy San Francisco, in which case their workers may apply for the program.[3] As of early May 2008 over 700 employers had decided to participate in the program.[4][5] Early evidence suggest that employers are spending more on health benefits, but some are raising prices and cutting back on hiring.[6][5]
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Ordinance, claiming it conflicted with ERISA. The Ninth Circuit rejected their arguments in May, 2009, and an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is possible.
See also
Notes
- ^ http://www.healthysanfrancisco.org/visitors/What_Is_HSF.aspx
- ^ http://www.healthysanfrancisco.org/visitors/Who_Qualifies.aspx
- ^ a b "Key Facts: Healthy San Francisco". Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. March 2008. http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/7760.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ Wyatt Buchanan, "734 businesses sign up for S.F. health program," San Francisco Chronicle, May 2, 2008
- ^ a b "Coverage & Access | Healthy San Francisco Program Prompts Some Companies To Shift Costs to Consumers but Appears Effective," Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, Kaiser Family Foundation, May 5, 2008
- ^ Phred Dvorak, "Firms Adjust to Health-Care Law," The Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2008
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