WHEREAS, the Department of Health has a goal to ensure that by the year 2000, all pregnant women who are San Francisco County residents receive prenatal care; and,

WHEREAS, the goal of the Community Health Network is to encourage maternity care by providing payment options for women who may not otherwise seek prenatal and maternity care; and,

WHEREAS, the Community Health Network has proposed a revision to its existing maternity package which will cover the cost of prenatal, labor and delivery services for San Francisco residents who do not qualify for Medi-Cal or opt not to apply for Medi-Cal, and has proposed a different plan for tourists and non-residents; and,

WHEREAS, the proposed package offers two alternative plans, including a prenatal, labor and delivery plan, and a labor and delivery only plan in order to provide for increased options for women who need these services; and,

WHEREAS, the fees have not been raised since 1991 and the fees proposed in the maternity package are consistent with market rates in San Francisco and with Medi-Cal rates paid to the Community Health Network for such services; and,

WHEREAS, the proposed fees encourage women to apply for Medi-Cal for their newborns by reducing the overall cost of the package once an application is completed; and,

WHEREAS, women whose income is below poverty level will qualify for the Department's sliding fee scale, thereby reducing/eliminating the payment requirement for poor women; and,

WHEREAS, the proposal also provides for a maternity plan for tourists and non-San Francisco residents who generally have other options available for their maternity care which is priced higher than the fee proposed for San Francisco residents; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the Health Commission supports the provision of payment options for women in order to encourage prenatal care, and approves the Community Health Network's proposed maternity package and its fees.

I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Health Commission at its meeting of Tuesday, June 16, 1998.

Sandy Ouye Mori, Executive Secretary to the Health Commission