Healthcare in the United States |
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Healthy San Francisco is a health access program launched in 2007 to subsidize medical care for uninsured residents of San Francisco, California.[1] The program's stated objective is to bring universal health care to the city.[2][3] Healthy San Francisco is not a true insurance program, as it does not cover services such as dental and vision care, and only covers services received in the city and county of San Francisco.[4] The program itself acknowledges its limitations, and has stated that "insurance is always a better choice."[4][5][failed verification] Healthy San Francisco represents the first time a local government has attempted to provide health insurance for all of its constituents.[6] The program is open to low-income city residents over the age of 18 who do not qualify for other public coverage, and who have had no insurance for at least 90 days.[7] Eligibility is not conditional on citizenship, immigration, employment or health status.[7][8] The program covers a range of services, but only pays providers within San Francisco.[4] By July 2010, almost 90% of the uninsured adults in San Francisco — over 50,000 people — had enrolled in Healthy San Francisco.[9]