Los Angeles CNN —On Wednesday, thousands of unionized health care employees walked off the job after failed contract negotiations with their employer, Kaiser Permanente, a company whose business model is distinctive, compared to most health care providers in the United States. Members are mainly locked in to using Kaiser health workersKaiser’s membership dues set it apart from America’s traditional “fee-for-service” health care model, in which a doctor or health care provider is paid a fee for each service they perform. It’s a nonprofit entityAlthough Kaiser Permanente operates as a nonprofit entity, it generates billions of dollars in profit. “It’s time for Kaiser executives to invest those resources in addressing the desperate needs of Kaiser patients and frontline health care workers. August said in his experience at Kaiser Permanente, employees were “very proud” of their work.

---

Persons: Kaiser, ”, John August, Kaiser Permanente, ‘ I’m, ’ ”, Gerald Kominski, ” Kominski, It’s, “ Kaiser, Renee Saldana, “, Kominski Organizations: Los Angeles CNN —, Kaiser Permanente, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, of, UCLA Center for Health, Research, SEIU, UHW, Kaiser Locations: Kaiser, United States, Oakland , California, California , Colorado, of Columbia , Georgia, Hawaii , Maryland , Oregon, Virginia, Washington