The Supreme Court has rejected a business-led challenge to San Francisco's universal health care program that has enrolled more than 53,000 people who lacked health insurance, according to AP. The justices on Monday denied an appeal from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association of an appeals court ruling that upheld the program's requirement that employers help pay the bill or give their workers health coverage. The association said the city cannot require employers to pay the fee because a federal law generally prohibits state and local interference in the area of benefits that are offered to employees. The city says the program has resulted in a drop of almost 70 percent in emergency room visits at San Francisco General Hospital, and also insists it will remain important even with the passage of a national health care law.
