History of Health Insurance in the United States
Health insurance as we generally think of it in the United States began with the Great Depression in the 1930s. In this artilce, we review the history of health insurance and demonstrate how that history is linked to current health insurance developments. Predating private health insurance were efforts at government-sponsored coverage for workplace injury. The Great Depression led hospitals and then physicians to implement forms of insurance as means to assure payment for services. Ironically, conventional insurance and managed care were developed at this same time. (more…)





