San Francisco Becomes First US City to Guarantee Healthcare

San Francisco is "different" from other American cities in many ways. Its population of 750,000 lives in a compact area, city and county governments are one and the same, and the political culture is unique. Now, San Francisco is different in a new way. It's the first American city to promise healthcare for all its residents—whether or not they are citizens. "Healthy San Francisco" began as a pilot program in Chinatown two months ago. On Monday, it will spread to 20 locations citywide. The hope is to provide free healthcare to 82,000 people without health insurance--without raising taxes. Supervisor Tom Ammiano is the sponsor of the plan.