| Kaiser Permanente is an integrated health care | | | | men. He borrowed money to construct |
| organization which is based in Oakland, California, | | | | Contractors General Hospital; six miles away from |
| founded in the year 1945 by an industrialist Henry | | | | the tiny town called Desert Center and began to |
| J. Kaiser and a physician Sidney R. Garfield. Kaiser | | | | treat injured and sick workers. But the difficult |
| Permanente is an association of three distinct | | | | part was financing and Dr. Garfield faced trouble |
| entities groups; the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, | | | | obtaining the insurance companies to pay for his |
| Inc. and its regional operating organizations, the | | | | bills on time. And though not all of the workers |
| Permanente Medical Groups and Kaiser Foundation | | | | had insurances, he refused to turn away any |
| Hospitals. As of 2006, Kaiser Permanente is | | | | injured or sick workers. As a result, he was often |
| operated in 9 states as well as in Washington, | | | | not paid for his services and it wasn't long before |
| D.C., and this is the largest managed care | | | | the hospital's operating expenses were far |
| organization in America. Kaiser Permanente has | | | | greater than its income. |
| millions of health plan members, with thousands of | | | | Today Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals |
| employees, physicians, medical centers and | | | | has a single Board of Directors which is |
| medical offices with annual operating revenues | | | | considered to be the ultimate governing body for |
| earned in billions and a net income of $1.3 billion. | | | | Kaiser. The chairman of the Board is George C. |
| The Health Plan and Hospitals operated under the | | | | Halvorson and he is the chief executive officer of |
| state and federal not-for-profit tax status, while | | | | Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. In this |
| the Medical Groups are operate under professional | | | | capacity, Mr. Halvorson is occasionally referred to |
| corporations and for-profit partnerships in their | | | | as the CEO and chairman of Kaiser Permanente, |
| individual regions. | | | | even though he is not the director for any of the |
| Kaiser Permanente started at the height of the | | | | Permanente Medical Group boards or any of |
| great depression with just one inventive young | | | | those organizations. C .Halvorson leads a national |
| surgeon and a twelve bed hospital in the middle of | | | | leadership team which manages hospital |
| Mojave Desert. When MD of Kaiser Permanente | | | | operations and health plans across all the Kaiser |
| saw thousands of men occupied in building the Los | | | | Permanente regions. The Board of Directors at |
| Angeles Aqueduct, he also saw something else; a | | | | Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospital consists |
| chance to offer health care for these working | | | | of fourteen members including Mr. Halvorson. |