What was the first "true" insurance plan established in 1929 specifically for hospital care?

The first "true" insurance plan established in 1929 specifically for hospital care was Blue Cross. This innovative plan was created to provide hospital benefits to patients and was designed to help individuals cover the costs associated with hospital stays and treatments. It emerged from a partnership between hospitals and local organizations to ensure that patients could afford care without facing financial catastrophe.

Blue Cross represented a significant development in healthcare financing, as it laid the groundwork for more structured health insurance models that would follow. It also marked the shift from out-of-pocket payments to a more organized systematic approach to managing healthcare expenses, which has been integral to the modern healthcare landscape. The establishment of Blue Cross helped to pave the way for further insurance developments, including the later creation of Blue Shield, which focused more on physician services rather than hospital care.

While other options reference important milestones in healthcare financing, such as Blue Shield, commercial insurance, and Medicare, they do not specifically address the establishment of the first insurance plan for hospital care, which is what Blue Cross achieved in 1929.