San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today was joined by Supervisor Tom Ammiano to announce his plan to provide healthcare to San Francisco’s uninsured residents. Called the San Francisco Health Access Plan (SF HAP),it provides an affordable alternative to health insurance that emphasizes prevention, provides comprehensive services, and promotes a choice of health care providers. The purpose of the SF HAP is to ensure that all San Franciscans have timely access to comprehensive health care services, in particular primary and catastrophic care.

In February 2006, the Mayor created the Universal Healthcare Council (UHC) to provide healthcare for San Francisco’s 82,000 uninsured. The collaborative effort, chaired by Sandra Hernández, M.D., CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, and Lloyd Dean, CEO of Catholic Healthcare West, and comprised of representatives from the healthcare, business, labor, philanthropy and research communities has been meeting weekly for four months. The Council has reviewed demographic and actuarial data and heard from community advocates and employers to identify and quantify the needs of the uninsured.

“Providing San Francisco’s uninsured with high quality public and private health care is a top priority for me. I am pleased to receive the recommendations of this impressive Council. This plan allows for every San Franciscan to have access to ongoing primary and preventive healthcare. This plan redirects and expands our healthcare delivery system to provide timely access for uninsured San Franciscans.” said Mayor Newsom.

Supervisor Ammiano said, “"Today is a significant day for all San Franciscans. Universal healthcare stops being a slogan and now becomes a policy. This is a very proud moment."
In its report delivered to the Mayor, the Universal Healthcare Council presented its recommendations for the development and implementation of the San Francisco Health Access Program SF HAP). Unlike the City and County’s previous efforts to serve the uninsured, the HAP is not health insurance – because it is not portable beyond the City and County. Rather, the Health Access Program will provide a medical home and primary physician, allowing a greater focus on preventive care, as well as specialty care, urgent and emergency care, laboratory, inpatient hospitalization, radiology, and pharmaceuticals. It will be administered by the San Francisco Health Plan, the city-sponsored health plan that currently provides care for 50,000 San Franciscans.

“The Council dedicated an enormous amount of collective spirit, deep expertise, and elbow grease to craft these consensus recommendations,” said Dr. Hernández. “At stake is nothing less than quality health care for all San Franciscans. We appreciate the Mayor’s leadership in leading this charge, and we anticipate success in its implementation.”

Lloyd Dean said, “We are proud and hopeful to present the report on behalf of the Council, to the Mayor and Supervisor Ammiano. We enjoyed the collaboration of this august body that brought together diverse perspectives toward a common goal.”

All San Francisco residents are eligible for the program regardless of employment or immigration status. In order to join the SF HAP, an individual must be uninsured, live in San Francisco, and be willing to apply for state and federal health benefits for which s/he is eligible

Among its mandates, the UHC sought to ensure that no single constituency or source would be asked to sustain the entire financial burden to provide care for San Francisco’s uninsured. The SF HAP proposal will be financed through a combination of employer, individual, City and County of San Francisco, and other sources. Since HAP provides health care rather than insurance for health care, it maximizes federal and state sources of reimbursement for its patients. Costs are also contained by emphasizing preventive care and chronic disease management. The Health Access Program will cost approximately $200 million or $2,400 for each person.

Primary care and specialist physicians, clinics, and hospitals that currently comprise the San Francisco Health Plan network will deliver the services. Efforts are underway to encourage San Francisco’s medical providers to join in the city-wide collaborative to expand care.

SF HAP will begin a phased-in implementation scheduled for 2007.

Leo, January 21, 2007

I wonder how American Health Management Association provides medical records professionals with educational resources and programs? WBR LeoP

Link: http://www.jyyj.com/2007/01/20/lipitor-pfizer-4th-quarter-earnings-seen-hurt-by-lower-lipitor-sales/

Leo, January 21, 2007

I wonder how American Health Management Association provides medical records professionals with educational resources and programs? WBR LeoP

Link: http://www.jyyj.com/category/health/

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