I never heard of the San Antonio answer to America's health-care crisis until tonight. Well, it doesn't provide an answer to all the crisis, but it is a way of providing universal health care.
Knocking doors in Orangewood Lane, Fruitwood Lane and Fruitwood Court (west of 700 East and south of 106 South,), I ran into a lady who had worked in the health-care system down there. People loved it," she said. ". . . People all over the country came to look at the system."
The San Antonio system covers those left out of the rest of the health-care net. It serves those above the line of Medicaid line who do not have health care through the work place or through their plans purchased independently by the self-employed.
Premiums are based on their income. If a person uses the emergency room instead of their primary provider, the rates go up. "It basically ties them into their primary-care doctor," the lady said.
The system collected $13 million in premiums one year. The lady didn't specifically say this, but such people generally get their health care by showing up at the emergency room, where they cannot be turned away for lacking insurance or money to pay, so (and she did say this) the $13 million is money collected that otherwise would be lost.
Sounds like a good way to provide health care to everyone.
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