In 2001, EverCare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, merged with LifeMark Health Plans. [11] In 2002, UnitedHealth Group acquired GeoAccess and Medicaid insurance company AmeriChoice. [12] In 2003, UnitedHealth Group acquired Mid Atlantic Medical Services, an insurer serving Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Delaware and West Virginia. [13] Also in 2003, UnitedHealth Group acquired Golden Rule Financial, a provider of health savings accounts. [14] On July 21, 2003, Exante Bank commenced operations in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a state-chartered industrial loan company. It changed its name to OptumHealth Bank in 2008[15] and to Optum Bank in 2012. UnitedHealthOne® is a brand representing UnitedHealthcare branded individual insurance products underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company. UnitedHealthcare and Golden Rule have been serving the insurance needs of individuals and families for more than 75 years. Together, they are part of UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. health insurance company1 with a network that provides access to 1.3 million physicians and approximately 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities.2 The Optum brand was founded in 2011 as the company`s health services business. [57] Optum is the technology arm of UnitedHealth. [37] This division also operates staffed healthcare organizations in the United States under various brands under the OptumHealth brand.

In February 2008, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced an industry-wide investigation into a health insurer scheme aimed at defrauding consumers by manipulating reasonable and customary rates. The announcement included a statement that Cuomo intended to „file a complaint against Ingenix, Inc., its parent company, UnitedHealth Group, and three other subsidiaries.” Cuomo said his investigation found that rates found in a health care cost database maintained by Ingenix were lower than the actual cost of some medical expenses. Cuomo said this unreasonably allowed health insurance companies to deny some of the provider`s claims, reducing costs for members. [87] Availability varies by state. Golden Rule Insurance Company health insurance companies are medically signed. UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company`s health plans are only guaranteed during open and special enrollment periods. Related insurance products offered by both companies can be purchased medically – see product brochures and applications. Product availability varies by state. Separate policies or certificates will be issued unless the product is a pilot and optional service. In April 2004, UnitedHealth Group acquired the Touchpoint Health Plan, a Wisconsin health plan.

[16] In July 2004, the company acquired Oxford Health Plans. [17] On January 15, 2009, UnitedHealth Group announced a $350 million settlement for three class action lawsuits filed in federal court by the American Medical Association, UnitedHealth Group members, health care providers and state medical companies for failure to pay for out-of-system services. This settlement came two days after a similar settlement with Cuomo. [89] In 1974, Richard Taylor founded Burke Charter Med Incorporated, a privately held company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. In 1977, United HealthCare Corporation was formed to reorganize the company and became the parent company of Charter Med.[6] United HealthCare`s charter was to administer the newly created Physicians Health Plan of Minnesota, an early health management organization. [ref. needed] Lewin Group is a policy research and consulting firm that provides economic analysis of health and social services issues and policies. [111] The organization has been in existence for approximately 40 years and has maintained an impartial reputation through the many ownership changes that have taken place during this period. [111] The Lewin Group was acquired in 2007 by Ingenix, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, but claims editorial and analytical „independence” from UnitedHealth Group, its parent company. [111] The Lewin Group discloses its ownership in its reports and on its website. While the Lewin Group does not advocate for or against legislation, Democratic and Republican politicians often cite company studies to argue for and against various proposals for health care reform in the United States. [112] For example, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden uses Lewin Group estimates to cite the feasibility of his healthy Americans law.

[113] Former U.S. Representative Eric Cantor, former Republican whip of the House of Representatives, called the organization a „nonpartisan Lewin group” to oppose government-funded health insurance proposals. In December 2005, the company acquired PacifiCare Health Systems. [18] It agreed to divest portions of PacifiCare`s commercial health insurance business in Tucson, Arizona, and Boulder, Colorado, to address antitrust concerns and also agreed to terminate its network access agreement with Blue Shield of California. The Tucson company was sold to Cigna. [19] The company acquired Prescription Solutions, another pharmacy services manager, as part of its acquisition of PacifiCare Health Systems. [20] This store was later renamed OptumRx. UnitedHealthcare enters into contract negotiations with suppliers on a quarterly basis and they sometimes terminate contracts. When the circumstances are right, a single legal contractual opinion can have significant consequences for all industries involved in a case like Envision Healthcare, a network of providers whose medical service providers have been outsourced to countless individual physicians and their practices. In late 2021, Tennessee-based TeamHealth physician network sued UnitedHealthcare in Clark County, Nevada, 8th District Court, claiming the insurer had underpaid claims from three of TeamHealth`s Nevada-based subsidiaries.

In November 2021, the jury unanimously found United guilty of „suppression, fraud and malice” in its conduct and awarded TeamHealth $2.65 million in damages. [120] In December, the jury met again to determine punitive damages and awarded TeamHealth $60 million. [121] TeamHealth plans to file a similar lawsuit against United and other insurers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas. [122] Several Lewin studies have been used to argue for and against the inclusion of a public option in national health care reform.