1977

• Founding: UnitedHealth Group is established in Minnetonka, Minnesota, initially operating as Charter Med Incorporated.

1979

• United HealthCare Corporation: Charter Med evolves into United HealthCare Corporation, focusing on health plans and insurance services.

1984

• Public Listing: The company goes public, listing on the New York Stock Exchange, raising capital for expansion.

1990s

• Diversification: UHG expands its portfolio, acquiring businesses in healthcare management, technology, and specialty services.

1995

• Medicare Entry: UnitedHealth Group enters the Medicare market, providing insurance to seniors through Medicare Advantage plans.

2002

• Optum Created: UHG forms Optum, a health services platform offering technology, data, and care delivery solutions.

2006

• Lawsuit: June 2006, the American Chiropractic Association filed a national class-action lawsuit against the American Chiropractic Network (ACN), owned by UnitedHealth Group responsible for administering chiropractic benefits, and UnitedHealth Group itself. The lawsuit alleged violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

2008

• In 2008, the California Department of Insurance took action against PacifiCare Health Systems, a UnitedHealthcare subsidiary acquired in 2005, citing approximately 900,000 violations of the Unfair Insurance Practices Act. The department imposed a fine of around $173 million on UnitedHealthcare. By 2019, the case remained unresolved in court, with the potential for $91 million in penalties to be upheld.

2009

• Settlement: January 13, 2009, Ingenix reached an agreement with the New York State Attorney General to settle an investigation into the independence of its health pricing database. Under the terms of the settlement, UnitedHealth Group and Ingenix agreed to pay $50 million to fund the creation of a new non-profit organization tasked with developing an independent healthcare pricing database. Ingenix committed to discontinuing its medical pricing databases once the new entity’s product became available. While the company acknowledged the potential appearance of a conflict of interest, it did not admit to any wrongdoing.
• Settlement: January 15, 2009, UnitedHealth Group announced a $350 million settlement of three class action lawsuits filed in Federal court by the American Medical Association, UnitedHealth Group members, healthcare providers, and state medical societies for not paying out-of-network benefits.

2010

• Affordable Care Act (ACA): The ACA brings significant changes to the health insurance market. UnitedHealthcare adapts to expand coverage and comply with new regulations.

2011

• A 2011 lawsuit accused UnitedHealth Group’s data analytics division of facilitating Medicare fraud by inflating risk adjustment scores for Medicare Advantage companies. The suit alleged that Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary now known as OptumInsight, “defrauded the United States of hundreds of millions — and likely billions — of dollars.” Former UnitedHealth executive Benjamin Poehling filed the case under the False Claims Act.

The U.S. government announced it would pursue claims against UnitedHealth Group and its Texas subsidiary, WellMed Medical Management. In February 2017, a federal judge unsealed the lawsuit after the Department of Justice officially joined the case.

2012

• International Expansion: UHG begins providing insurance and health services outside the United States, entering markets in South America, Asia, and Europe.

2015

• Acquisition of Catamaran Corporation: UHG strengthens its pharmacy benefit management business by acquiring Catamaran Corporation, integrating it into OptumRx.

2017

• Fine over Medicare: In 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) fined UnitedHealthcare $2.5 million following a 2016 audit that uncovered issues in its Medicare Part D program. The audit revealed delays or denials in providing necessary medications to beneficiaries, prompting the penalty.
• CEO Change: David S. Wichmann becomes CEO, succeeding Stephen J. Hemsley.

2018

• Doubling Down on Optum: Optum surpasses UnitedHealthcare in revenue generation, reflecting UHG’s shift towards healthcare services and technology.
• NJ Fine: The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance imposed a $2.5 million fine on UnitedHealthcare for various compliance violations. This marked the largest fine levied against a licensee by the department in nine years.

2019

• Pennsylvania Lawsuit: In 2019, UnitedHealthcare agreed to pay a $1 million penalty to resolve allegations by Pennsylvania regulators that the company violated state and federal laws in processing medical claims, particularly for patients seeking treatment for autism and substance use disorders. In addition to the fine, the company was required to provide restitution for claims that were wrongly denied or delayed and to allocate $800,000 for an outreach campaign to inform consumers about their mental health and substance use disorder benefits.
• On April 29, 2019, Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida recused himself from a case against UnitedHealthcare. A cancer survivor, Judge Scola described the company’s denial of treatment as “immoral and barbaric,” acknowledging that his strong opinions about UnitedHealthcare would prevent him from “deciding this case fairly and impartially.”
• Mental Health Lawsuit: On September 13, 2019, three addiction and mental health treatment centers filed a lawsuit against United Behavioral Health (UBH), a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare specializing in mental health services. The centers alleged that UBH improperly denied $5 million in behavioral health treatment claims for residential and outpatient care between 2011 and 2017. The claims involved 157 members of employer group health plans, including children, under both self-insured and fully insured arrangements.

2020

• COVID-19 Pandemic Response:
• UHG implements telehealth solutions through Optum.
• Allocates billions in COVID-19 treatment and prevention programs.

2021

• Accused of over billing the federal government: In October 2021, UnitedHealth Group was among a group of Medicare insurers accused of over billing the federal government. According to the Inspector General, a whistleblower revealed that the U.S. government was pursuing UnitedHealth for inflating charges to Medicare. Executives at UnitedHealth allegedly instructed employees to mine old medical records to identify additional diagnoses of serious diseases, some of which may not have existed. This practice inflated bills submitted to the Medicare Advantage program, resulting in higher payments from the federal government.
• Acquisition of Change Healthcare: UHG acquires Change Healthcare, integrating its data and analytics capabilities into Optum Insight, despite antitrust scrutiny.

2022

• Record Revenues: UHG achieves over $300 billion in revenue, driven by growth in Optum and Medicare Advantage enrollments.

2023

• Legal Scrutiny:
• Class-action lawsuit over AI-driven claim denials in Medicare Advantage plans.
• Department of Justice challenges UHG’s acquisition of Amedisys, citing antitrust concerns.

2024

• CEO Brian Thompson Murdered: On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is tragically killed in Manhattan.
• Ongoing Lawsuits: Legal challenges related to Medicare Advantage, physician payments, and patient data access continue.

The total revenue of UnitedHealth Group from 2007 to 2023. The UnitedHealth Group is a health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The revenues of UnitedHealth Group amounted to over 371 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

The total revenue of UnitedHealth Group from 2007 to 2023. The UnitedHealth Group is a health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The revenues of UnitedHealth Group amounted to over 371 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

UnitedHealthcare’s claim denial rate is the highest in the industry at 32%.

A report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed that insurers across the nation have been utilizing AI-powered tools to deny certain claims under Medicare Advantage plans.

The findings highlighted a significant increase in UnitedHealthcare’s denial rate for post-acute care—services designed to help patients transition from hospitals to their homes. For Medicare Advantage plan holders, the denial rate rose sharply from 10.9% in 2020 to 22.7% in 2022.