General Motors, founded in 1908, has grown into the world's largest automotive corporation and full-line vehicle manufacturer. GM employs about 362,000 people and partners with over 30,000 supplier companies worldwide. GM also has substantial interests in digital communications, financial and insurance services, locomotives and heavy-duty automatic transmissions. GM, the largest private purchaser of health care in the nation, is also one of the most influential agents of health care change. GM spends more than $1.2 billion annually on healthcare and covers approximately 1.2 million lives. Behind GM's growing influence in health care is a team of about 40 health and auto experts, called the health care initiatives team.