UnitedHealth Group to Support Members Affected by Hurricane Earl

• Assistance for people who need early refills of prescription medications
• Free counseling help line open

MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and its family of companies, including UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, Ingenix and Prescription Solutions, is taking immediate action to assist people in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine, who may be affected by Hurricane Earl.

This includes relief to health plan participants who may be displaced and need to refill prescription medications, and opening a free counseling help line for people coping with the emotional consequences of the hurricane.

• Early Prescription Refills: Health plan participants who have been displaced or do not have access to their medications, who call and identify that they have been affected by the hurricane, will be able to have prescription medications filled if they have refills remaining on file at a participating retail or mail-order pharmacy.

This includes plan participants enrolled in all fully insured commercial, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement or Medicare Part D offerings and AARP MedicareRx plans. For mail-order delivery service to affected areas or any other questions related to their prescriptions, people are encouraged to call the pharmacy number on the back of their ID card, or speak directly to a pharmacist about their situation. This policy is effective immediately and will remain active until at least Sept. 17, 2010.

• Help Line for Community Residents – OptumHealth, UnitedHealth Group’s health and wellness business, is providing a free help line for people coping with the emotional consequences of the hurricane. Staffed by experienced master’s-level behavioral health specialists, the help line offers assistance to callers seeking help in dealing with stress, anxiety and the grieving process. Callers may also receive referrals to community resources to help them with specific concerns, such as financial and legal issues.

The toll-free help line number, 866-342-6892, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This service is free of charge to all affected individuals even if they are not UnitedHealthcare customers. Resources and information are also available online at www.liveandworkwell.com and in Spanish at www.mentesana-cuerposano.com.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group (www.unitedhealthgroup.com) 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 health benefit programs through UnitedHealthcare, Ovations and AmeriChoice, and health services through Ingenix, OptumHealth and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 75 million people worldwide.