Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/479641
1 8 0 H a r t f o r d UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group has been helping people live healthier lives for nearly four decades. T he company — originally called Charter Med Inc. — was founded in 1974 by a group of physicians seeking to expand health benefits coverage for consumers. While the insurance industry and many of its largest companies are more than a century old, UnitedHealth Group has grown quickly in its comparatively young, 37-year span. UnitedHealth Group has grown to become the largest health and well being company in the nation, serving more than 75 million people world- wide. Throughout its his- tory, innovation has been t h e h a l l m a r k o f UnitedHealth Group. The company introduced the nation's first network- based health plan for seniors in 1979; a national transplant network in 1989 that directs patients to high-quality physicians and facilities for complex medical needs; and electronic health care ID cards in 2003 to verify insurance eligibility within seconds. The company continues to be a trail- blazer, using the latest consumer technology such as smartphones to empower customers by helping them become better informed health care consumers. UnitedHealth Group is comprised of six busi- nesses that operate under two distinct brands, UnitedHealthcare and Optum. UnitedHealthcare provides health benefits; access to physicians; and access to hospitals to more than 38 million individu- als who are in employer-sponsored, Medicare and Medicaid programs. Optum provides information and technology-enabled health services to consum- ers, care providers, health systems and employers. Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group now has more than 87,000 employees across the country, including 4,000 in Connecticut. Company operations grew most notably in Connecticut with the 1995 acqui- sition of The MetraHealth Companies, the group health care operations of Travelers Insurance Co. and Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. The acquisition allowed UnitedHealth Group to become a leader in serving health benefits programs for large, multina- tional corporations, and Hartford remains home to the company's national accounts business. In fact, last year UnitedHealth Group deepened its commitment to the Hartford region by investing $35 million to renovate the landmark CityPlace building and moving more than 2,000 employees into the facility, now known as UnitedHealthcare Center. UnitedHealth Group's Connecticut operations are among the compa- ny's largest. UnitedHealth Group and its employees are also dedi- cated to serving their communities, contributing time, talents and other resources to support not-for-profit orga- nizations and activities. Last year, 77 percent of UnitedHealth Group's employees across the nation per- formed community volunteer work totaling more than 200,000 hours and donated $14 million, including com- pany-matching funds, to good causes. The commitment and passion of the company's employees is likely one of the biggest reasons Fortune magazine named UnitedHealth Group the Most Admired Company in the insurance and managed-care industry this year. At UnitedHealth Group, employees' passion to make a difference where they live and work is an inspiration that drives the company's mission — helping people live healthier lives and make U.S. health care work better. The company is proud of the work its Connecticut employees do to achieve UnitedHealth Group's national leadership status in health care. Our employees regularly give their time to help promote healthier lives in the Hartford communities. In May, UnitedHealth Group volunteers expanded the Battles Street Community Garden, enabling nearly 40 families in Hartford's Clay Arsenal neighborhood to grow healthy, fresh produce. (From left to right) Matthew Perry, Matthew Poulin, Celoris Allen and Amanda Hill. AlAn GrAnt