Miller Report for July 18, ’22: History of health insurance

Editor’s note: Dr. William Miller, chief of staff at the Adventist Health Mendocino Coast Hospital, is writing weekly reports concerning the COVID-19 situation on the Mendocino Coast. We are pleased to be running his health column, with details on the medical fight against the pandemic. The views shared in this weekly column are those of the author, Dr. William Miller, and do not necessarily represent those of The Mendocino Voice or of Adventist Health.

Given current negotiations between Adventist Health and Anthem Blue Cross, I thought it might be interesting to examine how our health care system came to rely upon health insurance as an integral component of providing health care services to people in America. This will be a series in which subsequent articles will examine Medicare and other forms of single payer healthcare including the American Veteran’s Association and the Canadian healthcare system.