Group Health Cooperative is a consumer-governed, non-profit health care system that is based in Seattle, Washington. Providing both health coverage and care, Group Health Cooperative covers more than 540,000 members in Washington and northern Idaho with 70 percent of those members receiving care in medical facilities owned and managed by Group Health.
Group Health Cooperative is unique in that it is governed by consumers, as opposed to internal executives, and ensures that the needs of patients are always put first. First opened in 1947, the cooperative currently operates in 20 counties of Washington and two in northern Idaho. Members have their choice of coordinated-care plans that may be purchased through groups or by individuals, Medicare plans, Medicaid plans, Basic Health, and the State Children's Health Insurance Plan.
The Group Health Cooperative also includes other organizations such as the Group Health Center for Health Studies, Group Health Options, Inc., Group Health Permanente medical group, and the Group Health Community Foundation. Employing more than 8,300 people between their family of organizations, Group Health Cooperative has made it its mission to improve the care and well-being of its members and their communities.