- Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
- The Permanente Medical Groups.
Kaiser Permanente’s creation resulted from the challenge of providing Americans medical care during the Great Depression and World War II, when most people could not afford to go to a doctor. Among the innovations it has brought to U.S. health care are:
- prepaid health plans, which spread the cost to make it more affordable
- physician group practice to maximize their abilities to care for patients
- a focus on preventing illness as much as on caring for the sick
- an organized delivery system, putting as many services as possible under one roof.