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UnitedHealth Group and Rainbow PUSH Coalition Announce Collaboration to Promote Better Health and Disease Prevention

Posted on: Friday, 8 June 2007, 09:00 CDT

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition have entered a strategic alliance to promote better health and disease prevention in the African American community. Rainbow PUSH was founded and is led by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of America's foremost civil rights, religious and political figures.

The alliance capitalizes on Rainbow PUSH's deep community-based relationships and UnitedHealth Group's vast resources, capabilities and expertise to help individuals make better health care decisions that result in better quality care outcomes.

As part of the collaboration, UnitedHealth Group will provide churches, community-based organizations and leaders affiliated with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition with access to health care tools and technology, educational materials, and clinical, disease management and care coordination expertise.

The two organizations will work together to develop new solutions to persistent health disparities and challenges that plague African American and other minority communities. These include diseases such as diabetes, cancer, coronary disease, and health challenges like asthma and obesity.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson, Founder and President of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said, "We are grateful for UnitedHealth Group's recognition and support for the unique role that black churches and community organizations play in improving the quality of life and health in America. We know that these organizations and their leaders struggle to do their best for their communities and we appreciate UnitedHealth's bringing its expertise to bear in support of their work."

Reed Tuckson, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs, UnitedHealth Group said, "Every community has its own unique set of challenges and assets. At UnitedHealth Group, our approach is to work with communities to leverage our respective strengths toward achieving better health outcomes. This alliance is a powerful way to support African Americans in making informed healthcare decisions and overcoming the health challenges they face."

The relationship also continues and expands upon the work UnitedHealth Group is already doing to increase access to quality health care services for individuals and families who live in medically underserved or economically challenged communities.

For example, its charitable foundation, the United Health Foundation, helped found the Health Coverage Coalition for the Uninsured, with the goal of significantly expanding and ensuring health care coverage for all Americans with an immediate focus on expanding coverage for children. In addition, the Foundation's "Community Centers of Excellence" initiative provides community clinics in economically challenged communities with critically needed resources. As a result, these clinics have improved the quality of care they provide and have significantly increased the number of people they serve.

The alliance announced today also continues Rainbow PUSH's advocacy and support for families and communities. Its One Thousand Churches Connected program brings the message of economic responsibility to families through churches across the country. Its PUSH for Excellence initiative fosters greater bonding between schools, parents, teachers and churches, creating more successful education and career outcomes for youth. The Coalition also sponsors and conducts health related seminars such as Hospice Care Workshops aimed at helping end the disparity in the percentage of African Americans who use end-of-life care.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group (www.unitedhealthgroup.com) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, Uniprise, Specialized Care Services and Ingenix. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves approximately 70 million individuals nationwide.

About The Rainbow PUSH Coalition

The Rainbow PUSH Coalition is a progressive organization dedicated to protecting, defending and expanding civil rights, to improve economic and educational opportunity for all. The organization is headquartered at 930 E. 50th St. in Chicago. For more information about the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, please visit the organization's website, www.rainbowpush.org, or telephone (773) 373-3366.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain statements, estimates, projections, guidance or outlook that constitute "forward-looking" statements as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Generally the words "believe,""expect,""intend,""estimate,""anticipate,""plan,""project,""will" and similar expressions, identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. These statements may contain information about financial prospects, economic conditions, trends and unknown certainties. We caution that actual results could differ materially from those that management expects, depending on the outcome of certain factors. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause UnitedHealth Group's actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include: the potential consequences of the findings announced on October 15, 2006 of the investigation by an Independent Committee of directors of our historic stock option practices, the consequences of the restatement of our previous financial statements, related governmental reviews, including a formal investigation by the SEC, and review by the IRS, U.S. Congressional committees, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Minnesota Attorney General, a related review by the Special Litigation Committee of the Company, and related shareholder derivative actions, shareholder demands and purported securities and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) class actions, the resolution of matters currently subject to an injunction issued by the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, a purported notice of acceleration with respect to certain of the Company's debt securities based upon an alleged event of default under the indenture governing such securities, and recent management and director changes, and the potential impact of each of these matters on our business, credit ratings and debt; increases in health care costs that are higher than we anticipated in establishing our premium rates, including increased consumption of or costs of medical services; heightened competition as a result of new entrants into our market, and consolidation of health care companies and suppliers; events that may negatively affect our contract with AARP; uncertainties regarding changes in Medicare, including coordination of information systems and accuracy of certain assumptions; funding risks with respect to revenues received from Medicare and Medicaid programs; increases in costs and other liabilities associated with increased litigation, legislative activity and government regulation and review of our industry; our ability to execute contracts on competitive terms with physicians, hospitals and other service providers; regulatory and other risks associated with the pharmacy benefits management industry; failure to maintain effective and efficient information systems, which could result in the loss of existing customers, difficulties in attracting new customers, difficulties in determining medical costs estimates and appropriate pricing, customer and physician and health care provider disputes, regulatory violations, increases in operating costs, or other adverse consequences; possible impairment of the value of our intangible assets if future results do not adequately support goodwill and intangible assets recorded for businesses that we acquire; potential noncompliance by our business associates with patient privacy data; misappropriation of our proprietary technology; and anticipated benefits of acquisitions that may not be realized.

This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. A further list and description of some of these risks and uncertainties can be found in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Any or all forward-looking statements we make may turn out to be wrong. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the extent otherwise required by federal securities laws, we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Source: Business Wire

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