EVERCARE EXPANDS STAR+PLUS OFFERINGS TO 22 COUNTIES IN TEXAS

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - July 19, 2006 - Evercare, a division of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), today announced that the Company will expand its Evercare® STAR+PLUS health care plan to 22 counties in the Harris, Nueces and Travis Service Delivery Areas in Texas.

STAR+PLUS was launched by the State of Texas in 1998 in Harris County as a pilot program and has since grown to serve approximately 65,000 members in that county. The program combines health and long-term services to elderly and people with disabilities, enabling them to achieve improved health and wellness access, quality and outcomes at home or in assisted living facilities. The 79th Legislative Session directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to utilize cost-effective models to better manage the care of aged, blind, and persons with disabilities enrolled in Medicaid. HHSC recently approved STAR+PLUS for expansion into an additional 28 Texas counties because it has proven to be an efficient and effective program for enabling easier and better access to health care services for Medicaid recipients while saving the state government millions in health care costs. Enrollment for eligible Medicaid recipients across these new service areas will begin in the Fall, and these new services will be effective on January 1, 2007.

As a pioneer of healthcare services that coordinates and customizes care to meet the complex needs of the frail elderly, chronically ill and persons with disabilities, Evercare has deep experience in improving the health outcomes and restoring greater functional independence for Medicaid recipients, said John Mach, CEO, Evercare. Through this expansion, we're pleased to be bringing our plans to a much larger number of individuals across the Lone Star State. Our roots in Texas began in Houston's Harris County in 1998, and we look forward to building on our record of providing integrated Medicaid Long Term Care programs that reduce health care costs while earning high satisfaction ratings from our members and contracted physicians and providers.

The cornerstone of the Evercare STAR+PLUS program is providing members with personalized service coordination to help them navigate through today's fragmented health care system. Evercare assigns service coordinators to work individually with each member to create a customized, holistic care plan that considers a member's medical and non-medical needs. The service coordinator then arranges services including respite care, food delivery, and transportation and monitors the member's health status. In addition, service coordinators engage regularly with primary care physicians, family members, and caregivers to help ensure members are receiving integrated, high-quality care.

Evercare currently serves more than 100,000 members across the country with programs similar to STAR+PLUS in Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington.

Everyday activities that we take for granted are potentially insurmountable challenges for the members we serve, said Diane Schimmelbusch, Executive Director of Evercare Texas. Caring for people with disabilities or elderly individuals holistically means making sure they get to their medical appointments, that they have food in their homes, and that they are in constant communication with us to make sure their personalized care plans are working as intended.

A key aspect of Evercare's approach to care is prevention. Prior to STAR+PLUS, recipients of traditional Medicaid plans often missed simple yet critical preventive services such as immunizations, annual physicals and flu shots - often due to avoidable problems such as transportation and lack of access. Evercare also includes extra benefits such as eyeglass coverage and dental services.

For those living with more serious diseases, such as diabetes and congestive heart failure, Evercare offers CareCheck, an educational program that helps members improve their lifestyle, disease management, and overall health outcomes. Additionally, for those members who are homebound, Evercare offers HomeCheck, a program focused on bringing the primary care physician and other services to the member in his/her own home. All of these Evercare STAR+PLUS program elements contribute to better health outcomes and help limit emergency treatments and hospitalizations for members.

I wish my mother could have STAR+PLUS in Fort Bend County like she did before she moved out of Houston. Her benefits and coordination of care were so much better than they are now. STAR+PLUS is an excellent program, said Maria Santos, Missouri City, Texas.

Fort Bend County is one of the areas that Evercare STAR+PLUS will serve beginning in January 2007.

Evercare has an extensive and growing network of physicians, hospitals and other providers for members in the STAR+PLUS service areas. These include such long-time Evercare-networked Harris County area hospitals such as Harris County Hospital District, The Methodist Hospital System and Doctors Hospital, and new additions such as Christus Spohn Hospital System in the Nueces service delivery area and Seton Family of Hospitals in the Travis service delivery area.

By focusing on people and their practical, human needs as persons with disabilities or aging chronically ill patients with low-income, I have seen STAR+PLUS plans dramatically improve the health conditions of patients and restore their dignity as people, said Troy T. Carter, President of the Adult Day Care Association of Texas (ADCAT).

Evercare STAR+PLUS in Texas

Evercare has operated in Texas since 1998 as part of the Medicaid-funded Texas STAR+PLUS program, and already serves more than 33,000 individuals in Harris County.

Through the Texas STAR+PLUS program, Evercare helped reduce hospitalizations by 22 percent and ER visits by 38 percent for members. In addition, 90 percent of STAR+PLUS members expressed satisfaction with their service coordinators; and the program achieved 8.5 on a scale of 0-10 for provider satisfaction. (Lewin Group, 2003). In a 2005 satisfaction survey, 94% of Evercare STAR+PLUS enrollees said they planned to continue their membership (Ingenix, 2005). Evercare also helped the state government save $123 million in Harris County over two years. (Texas A&M University, 2002.)

New expanded areas of service for Evercare in 2007 include:

• Travis Service Delivery Area Counties: Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Lee, Travis, and Williamson
• Nueces Service Delivery Area Counties: Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, and Victoria
• Harris Service Delivery Area Counties: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Montgomery and Waller (Harris County in existence since 1998.)

Open Enrollment for 2007

Medicaid eligible adults will have the opportunity to enroll in Evercare STAR+PLUS plans beginning November for coverage beginning in January 1, 2007. More information about Evercare's plans can be found on www.evercarehealthplans.com or by calling 1-800-282-2003. For questions about the STAR+PLUS program please call 1-800-964-2777.

About Evercare

Evercare coordinates health care and well-being services for the frail elderly, chronically ill, and/or persons with disability in the home, the community, and skilled nursing facilities. Started in 1987, Evercare today serves more than 100,000 people nationwide through a variety of Medicaid, Medicare, and private-pay health plans, programs, and services. Evercare is part of Ovations, a division of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) dedicated to the health care needs of over-age 50 Americans. For more information about Evercare, call 1-866-772-0859 (TTY 1-800-387-1074) or visit www.evercarehealthplans.com.

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.

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