| "Health Care" | |
|---|---|
| The Office episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Ken Whittingham |
| Written by | Paul Lieberstein |
| Cinematography by | Randall Einhorn |
| Editing by |
|
| Production code | 1006[1] |
| Original air date | April 5, 2005 |
| Guest appearance | |
"Health Care" is the third episode of the first season of the American comedy television series The Office. Written by Paul Lieberstein, who also acts in the show as Toby Flenderson, and directed by Ken Whittingham, the episode first aired in the United States on April 5, 2005, on NBC.
In this episode, Michael (played by Steve Carell) is tasked with choosing a new and inexpensive health care plan. He immediately hands it off to enthusiastic volunteer Dwight (Rainn Wilson). Dwight ruthlessly cuts nearly all benefits in the new plan, angering the rest of the office staff. Meanwhile, Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) make up fake diseases, much to Dwight's chagrin. In an attempt to appease them, Michael promises the entire office a surprise and then spends the rest of the day scrambling to come through with his promise. The employees wait for Michael's surprise, which he awkwardly never delivers.
The episode received positive reviews from television critics. Jenna Fischer later called "Health Care" her favorite season one episode. The episode received a 2.9/7 in the Nielsen ratings among people aged 18–49 and garnered 5.8 million viewers overall. In addition, the episode retained 100% of its lead-in 18–49 audience and ranked, along with the other first-season episodes of The Office, as NBC's highest-rated Tuesday night program since February 1, 2005.