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MINNETONKA, Minn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, said its Military & Veterans Services business unit has been awarded the Department of Defenseas TRICARE Managed Care Support contract to provide health care services for active duty and retired military service members and their families in the West Region.

"We believe service members and their families will benefit from the Department of Defenseas careful consideration of this contract, given the need to provide the highest quality of care while also controlling health care costs"

UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services will be the Managed Care Support contractor serving nearly 2.9 million TRICARE beneficiaries in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa (excluding Rock Island Arsenal area), Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (excluding the St. Louis area), Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, portions of Texas (including El Paso), Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The contract includes a transition period and five one-year option periods for health care operations. The first year of operations is anticipated to begin April 1, 2013. The administrative services contract is worth $1.4 billion.

aWe believe service members and their families will benefit from the Department of Defenseas careful consideration of this contract, given the need to provide the highest quality of care while also controlling health care costs,a said Lori C. McDougal, CEO of UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services. aWe are committed to working with the Department of Defense to ensure beneficiaries have access to cost-effective, quality and innovative care, and we are grateful for the opportunity to deliver exceptional care and service for TRICARE beneficiaries in the West Region.a

UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services will provide contract and claims processing, as well as management support including cost trend risk management, fraud and abuse detection, and quality management services.

About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making health care work better. With headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. Through its businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 75 million people worldwide. Visit [ www.unitedhealthgroup.com ] for more information.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain statements, estimates, projections, guidance or outlook that constitute aforward-lookinga statements as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Generally the words abelieve,a aexpect,a aintend,a aestimate,a aanticipate,a aplan,a aproject,a awilla 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 uncertainties and involve risks and uncertainties. We caution that actual results could differ materially from those that management expects, depending on the outcome of certain factors including the duration of the contract, service needs, the level of enrollment in the program and our performance relative to contract standards.