HISTORIC NATIONWIDE HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM

NEW YORK, NY (January 13, 2009) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced historic reform of the nationwide health care reimbursement system that will end conflicts of interest and generate fair reimbursement rates for working families nationwide. Cuomo has reached an agreement with UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) (“United”), the nation’s second largest health insurer, after conducting an industry-wide investigation into a scheme to defraud consumers by manipulating reimbursement rates.

At the center of the scheme is Ingenix, Inc. (“Ingenix”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of United, which is the nation’s largest provider of health care billing information. Under the agreement with United, the database of billing information operated by Ingenix will close. United will pay $50 million to a qualified nonprofit organization that will establish a new, independent database to help determine fair out-of-network reimbursement rates for consumers throughout the United States. Full Story...

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