Final answer:
Health insurance in America has roots that date back to initiatives during the Great Depression, but it was not until Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 that government-backed health insurance became a cornerstone of the American healthcare system. Prior to that, various European countries had passed laws requiring health insurance for workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the origin of health insurance in America. Health insurance in the United States can trace its origins to a number of developments throughout the 20th century. One notable early instance of a health insurance program was started by Flint Goodridge Hospital in New Orleans during the Great Depression, in 1936. At that time, the hospital offered an insurance plan for $3.65 a year, providing up to 21 days of hospitalization. This plan was highlighted as the cheapest in the nation at the time and was endorsed by the American Medical Association.
However, it wasn't until the 1960s that major government-backed health insurance programs were enacted. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's social reform efforts. These programs were designed to extend health insurance coverage to specific groups in society, namely the elderly, welfare recipients, and the disabled, whom the private insurance market had largely failed to cover sufficiently up until that point.
As for the beginning of the concept of health insurance, various European nations established systems in the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as Germany's Health Insurance Law of 1883, which required employers to provide health insurance for their workers. This was followed by similar initiatives in other European countries. These precedents influenced the development of health insurance in the United States.