San Francisco Health Plan: About Us: Inside SFHP: Overview

Overview of How We Do It

How do we do it?

We begin with the belief that every person living in San Francisco deserves access to quality, affordable health care. As a licensed community health plan, we were designed for and by the people we serve – many of whom would not be able to otherwise obtain health care for themselves or their families. We carry this belief into our mission to provide all San Franciscans superior care, across all the cultural and ethnically diverse communities that make San Francisco so unique.

In January 2002, we launched Healthy Kids – a City and County-funded program, which moved San Francisco one giant step closer to universal health care coverage for all uninsured children. And in January 2005 Healthy Kids was extended to include 19-24 year olds and was re-christened Healthy Kids & Young Adults.

We are among the first community health plans in the country to serve young adults. But we did not do it alone. We began with the support of Mayor Willie Brown in 2002, and enjoy the support of Mayor Gavin Newsom today. We are fortunate to have partners who share our vision of universal coverage, such as the San Francisco Children and Families Commission (First 5).

We do it with the support and shared resources of countless community partners throughout San Francisco. And we do it at the request of all San Franciscans, who in 1998 passed Measure J, making universal health care a priority for the City.

San Francisco is as unique as the people who live here. As the local health plan, we know the city; we know the people who live here; and we are tailored to respond to their needs.