Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, headquartered in Oakland, California. The business consists of three separate but connected groups: The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Permanente Medical Groups, and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. As of 2018, Kaiser Permanente had sold over 11.7 million health plans while employing over 208,000 individuals, including 21,275 physicians and 54,072 nurses. Kaiser Permanente owns 720 medical facilities and 39 medical facilities. Revenue was reported at $72.7 billion USD for the 2017 fiscal year, with a net income of $3.8 billion USD.

The company was founded in 1945 by Henry Kaiser and Sidney Garfield. Kaiser had formed a large insurance consortium called Industrial Indemnity with other construction contractors in order to meet workers' compensation obligations. Garfield was contracted to care for 5,000 construction workers working on the Colorado River Aqueduct. Garfield struggled financially, partly due to a desire to treat all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Harold Hatch, an Industrial Indemnity executive, proposed a solution to Garfield that resulted in the creation of Kaiser Permanente. Industrial Indemnity would pay premiums of $1.50 per month to cover work-related industry. The company has undergone continued growth ever since.