Kaiser Permanente's beginnings date back to the early 1930s, when Sidney R. Garfield, M.D. came up with the idea to provide health care to Los Angeles aqueduct workers. During the 1930s, Dr. Garfield provided prepaid medical and hospital service plans for construction workers throughout California. It wasn't until 1945 that the Permanente Plan was founded, and began offering plans to the general public. In 1952, the name was changed to Kaiser, but the medical group decided to keep the name Permanente; and Kaiser Permanente was born. By 1968, Kaiser Permanente membership had reached 2 million. During the decades that followed, Kaiser Permanente's membership continued to grow up to more than 8 million members.

Kaiser Locations

Today, with more than 8.2 million members across nine states, Kaiser Permanente is the largest non-profit health plan in the United States. Kaiser Permanente's provider network includes: California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Ohio, Oregon, and Hawaii. With headquarters in Oakland, California, Kaiser Permanente currently includes Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and Permanente Medical Groups.

Kaiser Plans

Kaiser Permanente offers a wide variety of plans for individuals and families, groups, and employers. Under benefits for individuals and families, several plans are offered with a variety of deductibles or co-payments including the:

• $1,500 Deductible Plan
• $250 Deductible Plan
• $50 Copay Plan
• $25 Copay Plan.

Kaiser Permanente's $1,500 Deductible Plan for Individuals has an annual out-of-pocket maximum of $3,500 and a medical calendar year deductible of $1,500. Professional services such as routine and urgent care appointments are roughly $30 per visit. Outpatient services such as immunizations are offered free of charge, as are group health education visits. Members will also pay low fees for outpatient services, hospitalization, emergency services, mental health, chemical dependency, home health services, and prescription drugs.

The $25 Copay Plan offers no medical calendar year deductible, no lifetime benefit maximum, and professional services such as routine and urgent care appointments for $25 per visit. Outpatient services such as immunizations are 100 percent covered, as are group health education visits. With the $25 Copay Plan, members pay low fees for outpatient services, hospitalization, emergency services, mental health, chemical dependency, home health, and prescription drugs.

In addition, Kaiser Permanente offers a high quality Dental Assurance Plan as a supplement to members existing health coverage. The plan offers $1,000 maximum per calendar year towards each covered enrollee, as well as low co-payments and annual deductibles. Covered services include, but are not limited to, restorations, dentures, orthodontic services, oral exams and preventative services.