Mayor Newsom Announces Expansion of San Francisco's Universal Healthcare Program
Healthy San Francisco, the city’s universal health access program, expands to include residents at or below 500% Federal Poverty Level
02/10/09 - Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced that as of February 10, 2009, residents with annual incomes at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level (for one person $52,000; for a family of four $106,000) will be eligible to enroll into San Francisco’s first-of-its-kind universal health access program, Healthy San Francisco. Healthy San Francisco provides accessible and affordable healthcare services to uninsured San Francisco residents.
"Healthy San Francisco has been instrumental in our efforts to make healthcare available for all our uninsured residents, and it demonstrates the critical role that cities play in improving the healthcare delivery system," said Mayor Newsom. "Today’s expansion to 500% of the Federal Poverty Level recognizes the fact that uninsured residents with modest incomes also have difficulty accessing comprehensive healthcare services."
Over 35,000 residents are currently enrolled in the program. Through Healthy San Francisco, these residents have access to primary care and preventive services at over 29 participating public, non-profit and private health centers. In addition, participants have access to specialty, pharmacy and hospital care.
Healthy San Francisco offers universal health access for all City residents, regardless of a person’s employment status, immigration status, or pre-existing medical condition. In order to effectively and efficiently enroll San Francisco’s uninsured residents into the program, Healthy San Francisco enrollment is being phased in over a 24 month period.
Healthy San Francisco is administered by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, in partnership with the San Francisco Health Plan. More information on the program is available at www.healthysanfrancisco.org or by calling 3-1-1.
