It's terrifying to find out you have terminal cancer. What's more terrifying is being left without insurance. This is what happened to a Californian. He lost his job due to recession cuts and tried to access his wife's insurance coverage. However, she also lost her job and insurance. So now this man is left at home writing in pain because he can't access painkillers. With his economic background, it is difficult to access federal coverage. There are problems like this that happen every day. I believe we need to improve not only the number of people covered by health insurance, but also the quality. To illustrate this, I turn to Kaiser Permanente, where I have volunteered and been a patient, for its healthcare reform model. The collaboration between Dr. Sidney Garfield and Henry Kaiser, dating back to the 1930s, became a revolutionary health care network. suppliers who collaborate with the insurance company. Kaiser Permanente's formative years were in the midst of the Great Depression, and Dr. Garfield was tasked with providing medical care to thousands of Los Angeles Aqueduct workers. During the Depression, financing was very difficult, so Dr. Garfield simply charged 5 cents per day for each employee to the contractor's insurance company. This was the essential birth of prepayment in the health insurance system, but it alone was not enough. Because of the potential patient load, Dr. Garfield focused on preventative safety measures rather than merely reactionary treatments. This fundamental philosophy of innovation and a focus on health rather than repair has been the hallmark of modern Kaiser Permanente. The advertising campaign and slogan “Live Well and Thrive” encourage this very philosophy at the heart of the paper, Thomas R. The Healing of America: a Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care. Kindle ed. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print."Taiwan Takes Fast Track to Universal Health Care." Interview by Thomas R. Reid. NPR: National Public Radio: News and Analysis, World, U.S., Music & Arts. NPR News, April 5, 2008. Web. March 3, 2010. "USATODAY.com - Study: 4 in 10 Medical Malpractice Cases Unfounded." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, US & World - USATODAY.com. The Associated Press, May 10, 2006. Web. March 8, 2010. .Waitzkin, Howard. On the Front Lines of Medicine How the healthcare system alienates doctors and mistreats patients, and what we can do about it. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. Print.