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UnitedHealth Group company history timeline

1977

The company was founded in January 1977 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.“

In 1977, the United HealthCare Corporation was created to reorganize the company and became the parent company of Charter Med.

1988

In 1988, United HealthCare started its first pharmacy benefit management, through its Diversified Pharmaceutical Services subsidiary.

1994

The subsidiary was sold to SmithKline Beecham in 1994 for $2.3 billion.

In 1994, United HealthCare acquired Ramsey-HMO, a Florida insurer.

1995

In 1995, the company acquired The MetraHealth Companies Inc. for $1.65 billion.

1996

In 1996, United HealthCare acquired HealthWise of America, which operated HMOs in Arkansas, Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee.

1997

UnitedHealth Group achieved its first significant success in 1997.

In 1997, the company also expanded its Evercare program.

1999

And Aetna was in trouble financially, a problem blamed in part on overpriced acquisitions, such as the $1 billion purchase in 1999 of Prudential Healthcare.

2000

Created by Austin, Texas-based GSD&M, which had been UnitedHealthcare's agency since 2000, the campaign included television and radio spots and newspaper print ads.

2001

By 2001 Aetna's problems had resulted in a net loss of $279.6 million.

2002

In 2002, UnitedHealth Group merged its Medicaid business with AmeriChoice—the company’s chosen platform for serving poor people.

In 2002 UnitedHealth Group's net income climbed 48 percent to $1.35 billion on a revenue increase of 6.7 percent to $25 billion.

2003

The campaign, which first ran for a week in April 2003, included television and radio spots and newspaper ads in the target markets.

In addition, the company reported that the campaign resulted in significant increases in brand awareness among consumers; awareness jumped from 65 percent prior to the April 2003 launch to 79 percent afterward.

"UnitedHealth Group Reports Record First Quarter Earnings of $1.29 Per Share." Business Wire, April 16, 2003.

Following the initial release of the campaign, Adweek included the television spot "Hornet's Nest" on its June 2003 Best Spots list, describing the campaign as turning good sense into an art form.

On July 21, 2003, Exante Bank started operating in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a Utah state-chartered industrial loan corporation.

By 2003 the company had grown to become the largest health insurer in the United States, providing services, coverage, and products that affected more than 40 million consumers.

Also in 2003, UnitedHealth Group acquired Golden Rule Financial, a provider of health savings accounts.

2004

In July 2004, the company acquired Oxford Health Plans.

Not only did the campaign achieve its goals of increasing brand awareness and strengthening brand identity, but in 2004 "It Just Makes Sense" was broadened into UnitedHealthcare's first national campaign.

In 2004 the company launched a national marketing campaign designed to reinforce the brand's value and relevance to consumers.

2005

In December 2005, the company acquired PacifiCare Health Systems.

2006

In February 2006, the company acquired John Deere Health Care.

2008

In February 2008, the company acquired Sierra Health Services for $2.6 billion.

2009

In July 2009, UnitedHealth Group agreed to acquire Health Net's Northeast licensed subsidiaries for up to $570 million in payments spread out over two years.

In 2009, UnitedHealth Group introduced a diabetes health plan—the first of its kind.

2010

In July 2010, Ingenix acquired Picis, a health information provider for the high-acuity areas of hospitals.

In 2010, the company also announced an innovative cancer care payment model to pay oncologists.

2011

In 2011, Logistics Health, Inc. of La Crosse, Wisconsin, was acquired by OptumHealth.

2014

In February 2014, Optum secured a majority stake in the Washington, D.C.-based startup Audax Health.

In October 2014, Optum Health acquired the health services unit of Alere for $600 million cash.

It was ranked 14th in the Fortune 500 rankings for 2014.

UnitedHealth Group registered revenue worth $130.5 billion in 2014.

2015

In March 2015, it was announced that CatamaranRx will be acquired by OptumRx.

2017

In 2017, UnitedHealth's Optum unit acquired Rally Health, a company started by Audax Health's executives.

2019

In June 2019, UnitedHealth's Optum division acquired Davita Medical Group from DaVita Inc. for $4.3 billion.

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Founded
1977
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Headquarters
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Founders
Richard T. Burke
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UnitedHealth Group competitors

Company nameFounded dateRevenueEmployee sizeJob openings
Humana1961$77.2B48,7009,409
Aetna1853$60.6B47,9509
Centene1984$163.1B65,000469
Elevance Health1944$121.9B63,9003
Johnson & Johnson1886$88.8B134,5001,307
WellCare Health Plans1985$20.4B14,000-
Coventry Health Care1986$14.1B14,4001
Morgan Stanley1935$3.0B68,0971,022
Genworth2004$8.4B3,00019
Tenet Healthcare1969$20.7B102,0004,486

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UnitedHealth Group may also be known as or be related to UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC, UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealth Group Inc., UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, Unitedhealth Group, Unitedhealth Group Incorporated and unitedhealth care.