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What is your collaborative vision when working with other governmental entities (Travis County, State of Texas, Central Health, etc.)?

Lewis Conway Jr.

City Council, District 1

We believe our DistriCare plan, a pilot universal health care program for East Austin, will eliminate folks being uninsured and underinsured, as well as provide access to healthcare for folks regardless of their immigration, housing or employment status. With our DistriCare plan service providers would be able to bill one entity. This alone potentially reduces premiums for individual and by expanding Austin Public Health, we can provide genuine access to equitable health care to folks in District 1. Districare is based on Healthy San Francisco, which has been in effect for over 10 years and cost around $45 million a year. Under the model, nearly three dozen San Francisco community health centers and six hospitals take care of about 14,000 patients — down from a high of 65,000 before Obamacare kicked into high gear in January 2014. Healthy San Francisco is partially funded through the city’s general fund, which in the last fiscal year paid out $27 million to the health plan, while San Francisco employers contributed $15 million and participants kicked in $2 million in fees. Under the law, businesses with 100 or more employees must pay $2.64 an hour per covered employee on health care, while those businesses with 20 to 99 employees must pay $1.76 an hour per worker.