"San Francisco Moves Closer on Health Plan"

[GreenPartyVoter]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco moved closer Tuesday to becoming the nation's first city to provide health care coverage for all its residents.

The city's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan that would give adults access to medical services regardless of immigration or employment status. The plan's estimated cost is $200 million a year.

Financed by local government, mandatory contributions from employers and income-adjusted premiums, the universal care plan would cover the cost of everything from checkups, prescription drugs and X-rays to ambulance rides, blood tests and operations.

Unlike health insurance, it would not pay for services obtained outside San Francisco. Participants would have to receive care at existing clinics and public hospitals and from doctors who already participate in an HMO for low- and middle-income clients.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20060720/D8IVDJ980.html

[movie_girl99]

1. geez that will never happen in Texas

it sounds like a great plan.

[sui generis]

2. If Texas wants it they have to have a tax to support it

We're perfectly happy to tax homeowners and business assets for the hospital districts already, I'd rather just have a statewide flat 1% income tax instead for any adjusted taxable income over 60K (or some other reasonable tax/amount).

At a population of over 22,000,000 over the age of 15 and earning wages, collecting just $50/head per year, or a dollar a week per person would give us a state health budget of 1.1 billion dollars and healthcare for every man, woman and child in the state.

How hard would that be to sell if you frame it right? I'd do it.

[movie_girl99]

3. That doesn't seem so far out of this world to me

but for some reason the conservative people here can not seem to wrap their head around " socialized" medicine.