How World War II Shipyards Created Modern American Healthcare
In 1940s shipyards, Henry Kaiser accidentally invented the healthcare model that would reshape American medicine—proving that wartime innovation extends far beyond weapons.
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How a 1942 Wage Freeze Accidentally Created Modern Benefits
When Congress froze wages to fight wartime inflation, they never imagined they were creating the employer-sponsored health insurance system that defines American healthcare today.
The Quiet Revolution That Changed American Retirement
How a little-known 1974 law and a 1978 IRS ruling accidentally created the 401(k) system that would transform how Americans save for retirement forever.
When America First Realized Healthcare Costs Were Spiraling
The 1970s marked the beginning of America's healthcare cost crisis, as medical expenses started outpacing inflation and employers began scrambling for solutions.
When Labor and Management Learned to Share the Checkbook
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 forced unions and employers into an unlikely partnership that would reshape American healthcare benefits for millions of workers.
The Day America Changed Healthcare Forever in 1965
When LBJ signed Medicare and Medicaid into law on July 30, 1965, he created two programs that would reshape American healthcare and enroll 20 million people in their first year.
How World War II Accidentally Created American Health Insurance
A 1942 wartime wage freeze led employers to offer health benefits instead of raises, inadvertently launching the employer-sponsored insurance system we know today.