San Francisco's Department of Health is responsible for keeping the city healthy and offers information on tips of staying healthy and how to take care of illness on its website.
To see a doctor you usually need to make an appointment first which may require you to wait for a week, or sometimes a month. Some doctors are already booked up and will not take new patients, but will refer you to another area doctor. When calling the office, the receptionist will find a date for you and usually ask about your insurance. It is expected that you pay a co-pay for your visit when you see the doctor depending on your insurance plan. American doctors tend to run many tests and x-rays to protect themselves from the chance of lawsuits which runs up costs.