Pelosi, San Francisco and a public option that works.

San Francisco’s Public Option a Model for America’s Health Care Reform

Steve Smith, director of communications at the California Labor Federation, highlights a real-life example of public option at work.

For most working families, the idea of a health care public option is just a notion. But in San Francisco, it’s reality. And it works.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney joined San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski and San Francisco Labor Council Executive Director Tim Paulson at City Hall yesterday to urge Congress to pass health care reform with a strong public option, touting the success of the city’s universal health care system.

The “Healthy San Francisco” program, which was passed with critical support from labor, is a one-of-a-kind example of a public option of health insurance. Low-income workers are able to access subsidized health insurance while those with higher incomes are given an option to buy into a public health insurance option at reduced costs than they would face in the private market.

In fact, because of “Healthy San Francisco,” 75 percent of those in the city who were previously uninsured now have health coverage. San Francisco’s program exemplifies how a public option can effectively cover the uninsured and create choice and competition in the insurance market without negatively impacting job growth.

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Pelosi pushes public option for health care

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The San Francisco Democrat, speaking at a news conference in the city, said health care cooperatives are "not a substitute" for a government-backed alternative.

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Pelosi, at her news conference, cautioned that efforts to scale back or split the health care bill could derail reform efforts, which she called "an opportunity - not of a lifetime but of a century."

"If we don't pass this bill, with all the comprehensive aspects of it now, I don't know when we'll have a chance to do it," she said. "Does that mean that we couldn't improve upon it with future legislation as we see how it is implemented? No. But I think we have to be careful about splitting it off."

Pelosi insisted the legislation will go forward, with or without Republican support.

"The president has said that he wants to have a bipartisan bill," she said. "But we will have a bill."

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Thom Hartmann: The website for the San Francisco government SFgov.org. I’ve often talked about how San Francisco, one of the first cities in the country - major cities in the country - to have instant runoff voting is a shining city on the hill. You also are, if I have this right, the first city in the country to have a genuine public plan.

Gavin Newsom: We have a public option. Imagine that, Thom. The sky has not fallen in, the world did not come to an end, bureaucracy has not run amok and we have not replaced our beautiful American flag with the Canadian flag in San Francisco. We have a public option that’s providing real choice, and more importantly, competition. We have not raised general taxes, people have real choice within that plan, and it’s making a difference for at least 75% of those San Franciscans that years ago had no basic health care and now are fully enrolled in this universal health care plan.

Thom Hartmann: That’s remarkable, and it’s working well for you in San Francisco?

Gavin Newsom: I mean - objective minds - we just did an analysis that showed that we’re providing comprehensive quality health care regardless of preexisting conditions, and dare I say this, regardless of your immigration status, and I recognize the controversy around that, but those are the facts …

Thom Hartmann: Yeah. It won’t play well in Orange County…

Gavin Newsom: No, I assure you it doesn’t. I was just down there coincidentally yesterday, but we’re providing it for roughly $279, the equivalent of $279 a month.

Thom Hartmann: Wow.

Gavin Newsom: If you had the ability to go out and find insurance, and you had no preexisting conditions, the least expensive plan we can find out there that provides equivalent care is north of $380. And for a real plan, that’s more comprehensive, a Blue Cross-type plan, it’s over $619. So we’re providing something that provides the same quality care with the same public/private choice, within this public option for substantially less money, reducing, ultimately, the cost to the taxpayers and putting pressure on the insurance companies - so much so, Thom, that Kaiser, one of the largest HMO’s in the country, has just joined our public plan on July 1 and now are partnering with San Francisco’s public option.

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