Our story began in the shipyards and steel mills of World War II when Sydney Garfield, MD and Henry J. Kaiser partnered to champion the cause of pre-paid health care. In the years that followed, Kaiser Permanente gained recognition as a trusted health advisor. Being both a care provider and an insurance provider created a unique win-win situation. The organization benefited from keeping its members healthy. And they benefited from staying healthy.
Today, Kaiser Permanente is America's leading nonprofit integrated health plan serving approximately 8.6 million people in nine states and the District of Columbia. Thanks to the dedication of more than 152,000 employees and physicians, in a single year we may schedule more than 34 million outpatient visits, deliver 85,000 babies, perform 452,000 surgeries, and fill some 113 prescriptions.*
*Data per 2005 annual report.