PHOENIX (Oct. 21, 2008) – As part of its ongoing commitment to Arizona, UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, is funding $1.3 million in new grants to benefit health care consumers and improve the delivery of health care services in Arizona. UnitedHealthcare will begin accepting applications Nov. 1 from qualified organizations for grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. The grants, which will be distributed over the next year, fall under several different categories, including:

• technology improvements for safety-net providers;
• medical education programs in traditionally underserved communities;
• population-based preventive health strategies;
• cash or in-kind contributions to help establish and support health care information technology initiatives designed to improve health care delivery.

Applications are due Dec. 15, and grants will be awarded in January 2009. Copies of the Request for Proposal, which includes complete instructions and information on qualifications, are available by contacting Deborah Chambers at 602-954-3381 or dchambers@uhc.com.

"UnitedHealthcare is committed to investing in a healthier Arizona. We do this by striving to provide insurance products that ensure the highest quality of care and also through substantial charitable giving that improves the health care delivery system for all Arizonans, especially underserved populations," said Benton Davis, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Arizona.

These grants and their identified uses are well-aligned with UnitedHealthcare's historic and ongoing charitable giving in Arizona and represent the second of three grant cycles. During the first cycle, UnitedHealthcare contributed more than $1.4 million to several local organizations, including $700,000 to Arizona State University Foundation to refurbish its mobile health care van and $200,000 to El Rio Community Health Center in Tucson to help build an interface for electronic medical records and health information exchange. The third cycle of grants is planned for fall 2009.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 560,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,800 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.