universal coverage

The Healthy San Francisco Plan, the city's public health plan for the uninsured, has many of the elements currently under consideration in Washington, D.C.

It was proposed as a stopgap measure until Congress moved ahead with universal coverage. Now, it's being heralded as a public option that works and a model for reform. Sarah Varney reports for member station KQED.

Spain's single-payer health care system is ranked seventh best in the world by the World Health Organization.

The system offers universal coverage as a constitutionally-guaranteed right and no out-of-pocket expenses — aside from prescription drugs.

Patients do complain, however, about the long wait to see specialists and undergo certain procedures.