UNH » Topics » REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

These excerpts taken from the UNH 10-K filed Feb 11, 2009.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and subsidiaries:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 11, 2009 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

/S/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Minneapolis, MN
February 11, 2009

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and subsidiaries:

We have audited the consolidated financial statements of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008, and the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, and have issued our reports thereon dated February 11, 2009; such consolidated financial statements and reports are included in your 2008 Annual Report to Stockholders and are incorporated herein by reference. Our audits also included the consolidated financial statement schedule of the Company listed in Item 15. This consolidated financial statement schedule is the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on our audits. In our opinion, the consolidated financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

 

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Minneapolis, MN
February 11, 2009

 

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None

 

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and subsidiaries:

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2008, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. As described in Report of Management on Internal Control over Financial Reporting as of December 31, 2008, management excluded from its assessment the internal control over financial reporting at Sierra Health Services, Inc. (Sierra) and Unison Health Plans (Unison), which were acquired on February 25, 2008 and May 30, 2008, respectively, and whose financial statements collectively constitute approximately 1% and 8% of net and total assets, respectively, approximately 3% of revenues, and approximately 5% of net income of the consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008. Accordingly, our audit did not include the internal control over financial reporting at Sierra or Unison. The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting as of December 31, 2008. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

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We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008 of the Company and our report dated February 11, 2009 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedules.

 

/s/    DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Minneapolis, MN

February 11, 2009

 

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

This excerpt taken from the UNH 10-K filed Feb 21, 2008.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries:

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2007, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting as of December 31, 2007. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2007 of the Company and our report dated February 21, 2008 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

 

Minneapolis, MN

February 21, 2008

 

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

Effective as of February 19, 2008, Stephen J. Hemsley voluntarily increased the exercise prices of certain of his outstanding options, consistent with his intentions previously disclosed in the Report of the Special Litigation Committee dated December 6, 2007.

On February 19, 2008, the Compensation and Human Resources Committee (Compensation Committee) recommended and the Board approved the 2008 Executive Incentive Plan (EIP). The EIP, which includes annual and long-term cash components, is intended to reward and encourage significant contributions to the success of our businesses. The EIP provides, subject to shareholder approval, for an annual cash bonus pool of 2% of net income and a long-term cash bonus pool of 2% of net income. The Compensation Committee has established multiple performance criteria for 2008 annual and 2008-2010 long-term cash bonus targets under the EIP. The performance criteria established were as follows:

 

   

annual cash bonuses will be based on growth and innovation; operating income and cash flow; and stewardship (each weighted equally); and

 

   

long-term bonuses under the EIP will be based on earnings per share and return on equity (each weighted equally).

Any participant’s annual or long-term cash bonus award under the EIP will be dependent upon the satisfaction of the performance criteria established by the Compensation Committee, with the actual bonus awards depending on the participant’s actual level of performance and a target percentage of base salary that varies by executive with a maximum target percentage of 250% of base salary. The participants in the EIP are: the President and Chief Executive Officer; the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer; the Executive Vice President, Human Capital; the Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer; the President, Enterprise Services Group; the President, Public & Senior Markets Group; and the President, Commercial Markets Group.

This excerpt taken from the UNH 10-K filed Mar 6, 2007.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries:

We have audited management’s assessment, included in the accompanying Report of Management, that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on management’s assessment and an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, evaluating management’s assessment, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinions.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, management’s assessment that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2006 of the Company and our report dated March 5, 2007 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements and includes an explanatory paragraph related to the adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), Share Based Payment, as discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements.

DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Minneapolis, Minnesota

March 5, 2007

 

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ITEM 9B.     OTHER INFORMATION

None.

This excerpt taken from the UNH 10-K filed Feb 24, 2006.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries:

 

We have audited management’s assessment, included in the accompanying Report of Management, that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. As described in the Report of Management, management excluded from their assessment the internal control over financial reporting at PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc. (PacifiCare), which was acquired on December 20, 2005 and whose financial statements reflect total assets and revenues constituting approximately 29 and 1 percent, respectively, of the related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2005. Accordingly, our audit did not include the internal control over financial reporting at PacifiCare. The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on management’s assessment and an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, evaluating management’s assessment, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinions.

 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

In our opinion, management’s assessment that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005, is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2005, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

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We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2005 of the Company and our report dated February 24, 2006 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

 

/s/    DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Minneapolis, Minnesota

February 24, 2006

 

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

 

None.

 

This excerpt taken from the UNH 10-Q filed Nov 4, 2005.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated

Minnetonka, Minnesota

 

We have reviewed the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the Company) as of September 30, 2005, and the related condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, and of cash flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2005 and 2004. These interim condensed consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management.

 

We conducted our reviews in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

 

Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to such condensed consolidated interim financial statements for them to be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2004, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended (not presented herein); and in our report dated February 28, 2005, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2004 is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.

 

/S/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

November 4, 2005

 

18


This excerpt taken from the UNH 10-Q filed Aug 8, 2005.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated

Minnetonka, Minnesota

 

We have reviewed the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the Company) as of June 30, 2005, and the related condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, and of cash flows for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2005 and 2004. These interim condensed consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management.

 

We conducted our reviews in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

 

Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to such condensed consolidated interim financial statements for them to be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2004, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended (not presented herein); and in our report dated February 28, 2005, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2004 is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.

 

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

August 5, 2005

 

19


This excerpt taken from the UNH 10-Q filed May 5, 2005.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated

Minnetonka, Minnesota

 

We have reviewed the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the Company) as of March 31, 2005, and the related condensed consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2005 and 2004. These interim condensed consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management.

 

We conducted our reviews in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

 

Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to such condensed consolidated interim financial statements for them to be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2004, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended (not presented herein); and in our report dated February 28, 2005, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2004 is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.

 

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

May 5, 2005

 

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This excerpt taken from the UNH 10-K filed Mar 1, 2005.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries:

 

We have audited management’s assessment, included in the accompanying Report of Management, that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, based on the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on management’s assessment and an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, evaluating management’s assessment, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinions.

 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

In our opinion, management’s assessment that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, based on the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2004 of the Company and our report dated February 28, 2005 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

 

/s/    DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Minneapolis, Minnesota

February 28, 2005

 

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

 

None.

 

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