title: Which is the real Kaiser?
abstract: Fans of Kaiser Permanente, the nation's oldest and largest HMO, consider the company a cost-effective healthcare delivery system that supports its patients, caregivers and the practice of high-quality medicine. Its detractors see Kaiser as an evil HMO empire that hoards money, mistreats doctors and skimps on care. The dichotomy shows that Kaiser is like a giant mirror, reflecting the struggles and uncertainties of the evolving U.S. healthcare system.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kertesz
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D002140:California; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D007391:International Cooperation; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013781:Texas; D014481:United States