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Does San Francisco Have The Obligation Of Provide Citizens With Health Access?

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Case Study: Does San Francisco Have the Obligation to Provide Citizens with Health Access?

Misty Dawson

Kaplan University

Case Study: Does San Francisco Have the Obligation to Provide Citizens with Health Access? The question of whether governments have an obligation, legally or morally, to provide citizens with access to health care is one that has been debated for decades and will more than likely continue to be for years to come. Some say governments are morally obligated to provide access and others say they are bound by the right to health. Do governments, whether federal, state or local, have the obligation to provide citizens with health access? Do they have an active role in regulating healthy and …show more content…

Such conditions range from ensuring availability of health services, healthy and safe working conditions, adequate housing and nutritious food. The right to health does not mean the right to be healthy” (WHO, 2013, p 1). The right to health also presents three types of obligations on State Parties as follows:
1. Respect – do not interfere with the enjoyment of the right to health
2. Protect – ensure that respect is not infringed upon by third parties
3. Fulfil – take positive steps to realize the right health with appropriate measures through legislation, policy or budgetary measure (WHO, 2013, p 3).
The city of San Francisco was faced with this tough question and the Mayor responded in 2007 with the creation of the Healthy San Francisco Plan in order to meet moral obligations and their role in the right to health to the approximated 82,000 uninsured citizens aged 18 to 64 at the time regardless of immigration status, employment status or pre-existing conditions (City and County of San Francisco Department of Health, 2014). Healthy San Francisco is offered via the use of medical homes for when patients are sick and for preventative care as well and while it is not an insurance program, the use of medical home networks allow for the increased access to care for those uninsured based on small fees based on a sliding scale dependent upon income (City and County of San Francisco Department of Health, 2014). Business

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