Kaiser Permanente is a health care organization with a mission – to provide quality care for members and their families and to c ontribute to the well being of their communities. Kaiser was founded in 1945 and is the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plan serving more than 8.6 million members. They are headquartered in Oakland, California.

In the Mid-Atlantic region (VA, MD, D.C.) Kaiser has approximately 485,401 members. Kaiser insures more than 6.4 million members in California alone, and many healthcare reform economists use it as an example of an efficient insurance model.

The Kaiser model incorporates illness prevention, wellness initiatives, and an organized delivery system, putting as many services as possible under one healthcare roof.