Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
Unit:Financing Health Care - Part 1
Lecture:The history of the health insurance industry in the U.S.
Slide content:Employer Pre-paid Plans Ross-Loos Medical Group Believed to be first HMO in U.S. 1930s: Surgeon Dr. Sidney Garfield Organizes employer pre-paid plan Fixed payment per employee per month Formed Permanente Health Plan Open to the public Union support boosted growth 8
Slide notes:In 1929, the Ross-Loos medical group formed what is believed to be the first health maintenance organization in the United States, and provided prepaid medical care to Los Angeles County employees . During the 1930s, surgeon Dr. Sydney Garfield provided pre-paid care for the illnesses and injuries of employees of major public works construction projects in California, and later to employees of the Kaiser shipyards during World War II . After the war, as the number of employees in the shipyards dropped, the Permanente health plan was started, which opened to the public and attracted the support of unions, allowing it to grow over the next few years . This would eventually become the Kaiser Permanente health plan, which continues to operate today. 8