Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia – (April 10, 2008) – Appalachian Regional Healthcare and UnitedHealthcare have reached an agreement providing UnitedHealthcare commercial health plan customers access to Appalachian Regional Healthcare facilities in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.

In addition, Appalachian Regional Healthcare has signed a system-wide physician contract with UnitedHealthcare that went into effect on April 1, 2008. All ARH clinics and employee-physicians are covered through this contract.

The agreement, effective April 1, 2008, includes: Morgan County ARH, Williamson ARH, Middlesboro ARH, Hazard ARH, Harlan ARH, Beckley ARH, McDowell ARH, Whitesburg ARH and Summers County ARH health care facilities.

"More Kentucky and West Virginia residents now have broader access to quality, affordable health care through our new partnership with Appalachian Regional Healthcare," said Dan Krajnovich, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Kentucky. "This new agreement expands upon UnitedHealthcare's robust network of 152 hospitals and more than 11,600 physicians in Kentucky and West Virginia."

"We look forward to serving the members in UnitedHealthcare's network by offering quality, compassionate health care services that are close to their homes," said ARH President and CEO Jerry W. Haynes.

About Appalachian Regional Healthcare:
The Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) system is a not-for-profit health system serving 350,000 residents across eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Operating nine hospitals, multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, HomeCare Stores and retail pharmacies, ARH is the largest provider of care and single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third largest private employer in southern West Virginia.

The ARH system employs 4,400 employees and has a network of more than 400 active and courtesy medical staff members representing various specialties. ARH is firmly committed to its mission of improving the health and promoting the well-being of all people in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.

About UnitedHealthcare:
UnitedHealthcare provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services. 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 nationwide 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.