text: health care ( the office ) " health care " is the third episode of the first season of the american comedy television series the office , and the show 's third episode overall . 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 ( 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 . jenna fischer later called " health care " her favorite season one episode . during one particular scene , rainn wilson kept improvising new fake diseases . the laughter that resulted in his ad - libs was not scripted , as they were in fact the cast 's genuine reaction to wilson 's fake diseases . the episode received a 2 . 9 / 7 in the nielsen ratings among people aged 18 – 49 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 . the episode received positive reviews . plot jan ( melora hardin ) tasks michael ( steve carell ) with choosing a healthcare plan for the employees in the office , but as michael finds it too difficult a task to accomplish , he delegates the authority to dwight , who makes an enormous mess of it . he requires the entire office to write down their medical conditions , prompting jim and pam to invent diseases such as “ hot dog fingers ” and “ count ” out of thin air , the result being that dwight cuts benefits , adds an enormous deductible , and inadvertently mocks accountant kevin malone for having anal fissures . meanwhile , michael feigns a busy work day by searching for a surprise for the office workers after such a frustrating day , including an atlantic city - type getaway , a ride down a coalminer ’ s elevator , and ice cream sandwiches , ultimately unable to come up with anything and further alienating everyone in the process . production " health care " marked the first episode written by writer / actor paul lieberstein , who would go on to write several other episodes . it also marked the first episode directed by ken whittingham , who would go on to direct several other episodes . jenna fischer stated that " health care " was her favorite episode of season one . fischer went on to say that " we laughed a lot while making this episode . particularly during the scene where dwight confronts everyone in the office about who has been writing fake diseases on their health forms . rainn wilson kept improvising new fake diseases , and we didn 't know what he would say next . " fischer notes that several of the scenes that involved laughing were not scripted and were in fact the casts genuine reaction to wilson 's fake diseases . the episode was rebroadcast on march 29 , 2007 as part of an " human resources nightmares " marathon hosted by paul lieberstein . lieberstein 's character toby flenderson is the human resources representative for the scranton , pennsylvania branch of the dunder mifflin paper company , where the office is set . " health care " was one of two first season episodes , the other being " hot girl " , to not contain commentary by members of the cast and crew on the season dvd . reception ratings " health care " premiered on nbc on april 5 , 2005 . the episode received a 2 . 9 / 7 in the nielsen ratings among people aged 18 – 49 , meaning that 2 . 9 percent of all 18- to 49 - year - olds viewed the episode and seven percent of all 18- to 49 - year - olds watching tv viewed it . the episode garnered 5 . 8 million viewers overall . the episode , airing after scrubs , retained 100 % of its lead - in 18 – 49 audience . in addition , " health care , " along with the other first season episodes of the office helped nbc score its highest - rated tuesday night slot since february 1 , 2005 . reviews critical reception to " health care " was largely positive . erik adams of the a.v. club awarded the episode a " b + " , and felt that the episode helped to expand upon dwight 's character , noting that " the pieces are falling into place " for dwight to become the show 's breakout character . furthermore , he applauded the fact that the episode was based on an episode of the original bbc series , but that it did not create an exact copy , but rather used the concept as a template to create something new and original . in a review by dvd verdict , mike pinsky stated that " turning the third episode over to such a character , when michael passes off responsibility for picking a corporate health care plan to dwight , is meant to draw laughs out of his megalomania . but it just is not that funny . " travis fickett from ign wrote positively of the episode , giving it a 7 . 9 / 10 " good " rating . he noted that " there 's something stephen king about dwight that creates an underlying layer of menace " and that the episode is " an early incarnation of the [ the office 's ] early days , its original " paradigm " – and arguably its strongest . " ign later placed jim and pam 's prank of creating fake diseases as ninth in its " top ten moments from the office " . television without pity awarded the episode an a rating .