Government
Flexible spending accounts recommended for San Francisco plan
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 19, 2007
The San Francisco Dept. of Public Health is recommending that the city's universal coverage law be amended to allow employers in the city to make required contributions to workers' health care through flexible spending accounts, according to a Jan. 31 status report.
The city passed the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance in July 2006. It requires employees financially to support their workers' health care.
The details of the mandate are still being written. But employers expressed reservations because the ordinance excludes nonresident employees from enrolling in the city's comprehensive health care network, the Health Access Program, the report said. FSAs would ensure that nonresident employees benefit from the ordinance's spending mandate.
The city has 82,000 uninsured residents -- 50,000 of whom used existing city health services between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006. The law is to take effect July 1.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/02/19/gvbf0219.htm.
