Friday, March 13. 2009
A lawsuit filed December 30, 2008 alleges that the City and County of San Francisco has been illegally overcharging indigent patients for needed health care
Plaintiffs allege that poor and indigent patients are being overcharged for care, including under the city's universal access program.
Mayor Gavin Newsom called the health care plan "a real solution to our health care crisis."
The mayor said,
"This program ensures that San Franciscans who can't afford insurance can finally afford health care. By guaranteeing access, primary care and prevention, we will dramatically improve the health of all San Franciscans."
The mayor continued saying,
"This plan represents an order of magnitude change in our approach to providing health care."
This lawsuit has NOT been reported widely in the San Francisco press except for the legal newspaper, the Recorder.
The initial complaint itself is also unavailable as it has not yet been posted by the Superior Court.
The City of San Francisco has not yet responded to the complaint and it might tale quite a while for this to be resolved
I have obtained a PDF of the initial complaint and you can download it here > corea.v.ccsf.pdf
excerpt
A little-noticed court ruling on Monday may actually be the San Francisco earthquake in the health reform debate that sends aftershocks felt around the country.
The full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance, setting up a possible Supreme Court challenge about the city's attempt at providing universal access to care -- a possible model for the nation and many other states and counties.
Sponsored by then-Supervisor Tom Ammiano and signed into law by Mayor Gavin Newsom, Healthy San Francisco focuses on providing a new, affordable public option for both employers and individuals, based on a sliding scale.
Those employers who provide private coverage now don't have to do anything more, but those that don't (with 20 or more workers) are required to pay a per hour, per worker fee -- which gets their workers the public plan. Individuals can buy-in, up to five times the federal poverty level, regardless of pre-existing conditions.
The new funds go to bolster the network of public providers that everybody relies on, and help those who need subsidy.
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