Health Insurance from Humana, Rhode Island

Headquartered in Louisville, Ky., Humana offers a diversified portfolio of health insurance products and related services - through traditional and consumer-choice plans - to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals. It has a customer base of over 11.5 million in the United States. The company was founded by David Jones and Wendell Cherry as a nursing home company in 1961. Then known as Extendicare, the company became the largest nursing home company in the United States. Extendicare later divested the nursing home chain and moved into purchasing hospitals in 1972, becoming the world's largest hospital company in the 1980s. To reflect the company's new direction, the corporate name was changed to Humana Inc. in 1974. Humana experienced tremendous growth in the years that followed, both organically and through the takeover of American Medicorp Inc. in 1978, which doubled the company's size. During the mid-1970s, the company used a fast-track construction process to complete and open one hospital a month. This accelerated construction schedule, which compressed time by overlapping processes, allowed Humana to develop hospital projects faster than the industry norm. During that construction boom, Humana developed the double corridor model for hospital construction. This highly efficient design minimized the distance between patients and nurses by placing nursing support services in the interior of the building with patient rooms surrounding the perimeter. Humana has never stopped innovating. Humana began marketing health savings account services to individuals and companies in 2003 and entered into a business partnership with Richard Branson's Virgin in 2005 to create health insurance that encourages physical fitness, rewarding members who stay fit.

Year founded: 1961

Rating from A.M. Best: A-

URL: www.humana.com