FAQ

Each program is funded differently. We receive a monthly payment from each enrolled Medi-Cal member, and the City and federal governments for Healthy Workers HMO members. With the exception of no-cost Medi-Cal, members contribute to the cost of their insurance through small monthly or annual payments, and low co-pays for certain medical services. For more information on how San Francisco Health Plan programs are funded, click here.

We are a government entity. In the early 1990s, the State authorized counties to create their own HMOs. In 1994, the City created the San Francisco Health Authority, which now operates San Francisco Health Plan. Although, we work closely with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, we are separate from the City. We have no access to the City’s treasury and are not part of the City’s organizational structure. Instead, we report to our own Governing Board. For more information on the history of San Francisco Health Plan, click here.

There are 19 seats on our Governing Board, each of which is reserved for a person representing a particular San Francisco group. For example, a few groups represented are; the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the University of California, the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor, as well as representatives from our major medical groups. All Governing Board meetings are open to the public. For a complete list of current members, click here.

Maybe. Visit our “Do You Qualify?” page to see if you might qualify for one of our programs. Email your question to our Enrollment Team or call us at 1(888) 558-5858 and we will help you figure out if there’s a program that fits you.

Our providers include doctors, nurse practitioners, clinics, and hospitals, all of which share our commitment to making sure San Franciscans have access to health care. For a complete list of our provider network, visit Our Network in the Providers section.

Our membership reflects the diversity of San Francisco, including adults, young adults, and children from low to moderate-income families. Additionally, our members are disabled and aged adults receiving Medi-Cal, people working for the IHSS Authority, Homebridge, and some temporary employees of the City and County of San Francisco. The majority of our members speak a language other than English as their primary language. To meet our members’ needs, our Customer Service and Community Outreach teams are bi-lingual and bi-cultural (and sometime even tri-lingual and tri-cultural). Our provider directories, member materials, health education materials, and even this website are published in multiple languages.