San Francisco Employers - Wallet alert

The SF Chronicle reports San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom just signed a new law guaranteeing health insurance for San Francisco residents. The SF Health Access Program or SF HAP appears to have been developed by the "Universal Healthcare Council," a group comprised of business and labor leaders in and out of healthcare. Here is a whitepaper on their recommendations.

The cost is estimated at $200 million (about $2400 per uninsured resident), which means it will be much higher. The white paper says the program will be financed by a "combination of sources, including tax dollars, local business contributions and individual premiums," according to the report.

According to FAQ's developed by SF's health care agency, non-profits with under 50 workers and small employers with under 20 workers will be exempt initially. Employers with less than 100 employees will have to contribute up to $1.06 per employee hour on some form of health insurance, reimbursement of medical costs, or contribution to the new "SF HAP." That number increases to $1.60 per hour for employers of over 100 workers.

DGV