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

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney (second from left) met with city and union leaders in San Francisco, where a health care public option plan works well for working families.

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.

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