UnitedHealth Spends $1.5 Billion on AI and Wants Double Back

UnitedHealth Group is processing 500 million transactions this year through Optum Real, an artificial intelligence-first claims and reimbursement platform. By year end, that number is expected to hit 2.5 billion. That volume already puts Optum Real among the highest-throughput transaction platforms in American healthcare — and the platform launched only a few quarters ago. The pace shows how fast the manual layer of healthcare payments is giving way to automated, real-time transaction processing.

The company’s first quarter 2026 earnings call made clear how far that shift has already gone. AI is now embedded in the core transaction layer across claims adjudication, prior authorization, pharmacy approvals and provider payments. Phone calls, manual reviews and multiday reimbursement cycles are being replaced by system-to-system data exchange that processes decisions in seconds.

Payments at Machine Speed

Optum Real handles claims adjudication and coverage validation and cuts manual contact costs by 76%, according to the earnings call.

Prior authorization is moving in the same direction. Nearly 95% of requests now arrive electronically. About half process in real time. More than 90% clear within one business day. Authorizations submitted through Digital Auth Complete, the company’s new prior auth platform, hit a 96% first-submission approval rate. That cuts rework and compresses payment cycles for providers waiting on reimbursement.

The pharmacy side moves faster still. PreCheck MyScript cuts prescription approval time from over eight hours to under 30 seconds. It drives a 68% reduction in denials tied to missing information, per the earnings call.

Rural providers are also in scope. UnitedHealth is increasing payment speeds by 50% for rural hospitals across all lines of business. The company is also exempting rural providers from most medical prior authorization requirements. For smaller organizations running on thin margins, both moves directly affect cash flow.

From Call Centers to Continuous Transactions

More than 80% of consumer contacts now happen through digital channels. The company logged 73 million digital visits in the first quarter, up 42% over two years. UnitedHealth just launched Avery, a generative AI assistant for UnitedHealthcare members. It handles coverage and billing questions without human intervention. It will reach more than 20 million members by year end.

The provider side is shifting just as fast. Digital transaction volumes rose 75% year over year. About 75% of in-network providers now use portal or API tools to check eligibility, verify benefits and track claims in real time. That replaces phone-based, back-and-forth outreach with continuous, system-to-system data exchange. The model looks less like traditional insurance administration and more like FinTech payment rails.

A $1.5 Billion Bet on 2-1 Returns

UnitedHealth plans to spend nearly $1.5 billion on AI in 2026. Chief Digital and Technology Officer Sandeep Dadlani broke down the allocation on the call. Roughly a third funds software products and platforms, accelerating Optum Insight’s shift to an AI-first services business. The remaining two-thirds goes across internal processes: member experience, administrative workflows, clinical operations and back-office functions including HR, finance and marketing.

“We expect a return conservatively of 2 to 1 on these programs over the next few years, many of them paying back within the next 12 to 18 months,” Dadlani said. Optum Insight’s new consulting arm, Optum AI, has already signed its first external contracts, including with Labcorp on operational AI initiatives. That’s the first signal that UnitedHealth intends to sell outside what it builds internally.

“This is not just a matter of being more productive at what we already do,” Chairman and CEO Stephen Hemsley said on the call, “but a reimagining of how we organize, operate and work going forward.”

Optum Real is on pace to close the year having processed more transactions than UnitedHealth’s entire domestic membership count more than 50 times over.

What Else Stood Out on the Call

Optum Insight is actively decommissioning older, non-AI products and reinvesting those resources into AI-first platforms, with the productivity benefits expected to materialize in the back half of 2026.

UnitedHealth announced it will exempt rural healthcare providers from most medical prior authorization requirements and is building network partnerships between rural providers and leading regional health systems.

The company refreshed nearly half of its top 100 leadership roles and exited all non-U.S. businesses to refocus squarely on domestic healthcare.

Optum Financial Services agreed to acquire Allegis Technologies, a health financial services business, in a transaction expected to be accretive in 2027.

Topline Results

Revenue reached $111.7 billion, up 2% year over year. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $7.23, ahead of expectations. The company serves 49.1 million domestic members. The medical care ratio improved to 83.9% from 84.8% a year earlier. Operating cash flow totaled $8.9 billion, or 1.4 times net income. The company raised its full-year outlook to greater than $18.25 per share. The company-initiated share repurchases and expects to deploy at least $2 billion by end of Q2.