SF Pioneers Health Care for All

San Francisco will provide health care for every uninsured adult in the city, pioneering an approach that works around the limits of the federal system. The program goes citywide on Monday and will serve adults under the poverty line through November; after that, it will be open to everyone regardless of income. The Times takes a look.

A clinic network provides the free and subsidized care, which the city hopes to fund without raising taxes. It's not considered insurance because it isn't portable, thus keeping patients eligible for state and federal benefits and acting as a disincentive to people eligible for private insurance. Ideally, the cost benefits of preventive rather than emergency care will outweigh expenses. (More San Francisco stories.)