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Schedule I (Details) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]      
Payments to Fund Long-term Loans to Related Parties $ 436,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsToFundLongtermLoansToRelatedParties    
Notes Receivable, Related Parties, Noncurrent   2,600,000,000us-gaap_NotesReceivableRelatedPartiesNoncurrent  
Cash Dividends Paid to Parent Company by Consolidated Subsidiaries 4,600,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompanyByConsolidatedSubsidiaries 3,200,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompanyByConsolidatedSubsidiaries  
Parent [Member]      
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]      
Payments to Fund Long-term Loans to Related Parties 436,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsToFundLongtermLoansToRelatedParties
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
1,517,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsToFundLongtermLoansToRelatedParties
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
4,149,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsToFundLongtermLoansToRelatedParties
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
Notes Receivable, Related Parties, Noncurrent 4,635,000,000us-gaap_NotesReceivableRelatedPartiesNoncurrent
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
4,215,000,000us-gaap_NotesReceivableRelatedPartiesNoncurrent
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
 
Cash Dividends Paid to Parent Company by Consolidated Subsidiaries 5,500,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompanyByConsolidatedSubsidiaries
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
5,300,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompanyByConsolidatedSubsidiaries
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
7,800,000,000us-gaap_CashDividendsPaidToParentCompanyByConsolidatedSubsidiaries
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_ParentCompanyMember
Subsidiaries [Member]      
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]      
Other Long-term Debt 150,000,000us-gaap_OtherLongTermDebt
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_SubsidiariesMember
121,000,000us-gaap_OtherLongTermDebt
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= us-gaap_SubsidiariesMember
 
Intercompany Notes [Member]      
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]      
Debt Conversion, Original Debt, Amount     3,900,000,000us-gaap_DebtConversionOriginalDebtAmount1
/ us-gaap_DebtConversionByUniqueDescriptionAxis
= unh_IntercompanyNotesMember
Debt Conversion, Converted Instrument, Amount     2,600,000,000us-gaap_DebtConversionConvertedInstrumentAmount1
/ us-gaap_DebtConversionByUniqueDescriptionAxis
= unh_IntercompanyNotesMember
Equity Securities [Member]      
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]      
Debt Conversion, Converted Instrument, Amount     $ 1,300,000,000us-gaap_DebtConversionConvertedInstrumentAmount1
/ us-gaap_DebtConversionByUniqueDescriptionAxis
= us-gaap_EquitySecuritiesMember