UnitedHealth Group, Inc. jumps into Web

UnitedHealth Group Inc. is launching a health Web site for the general public in a move by the insurer to stake out a central role in the crowded field of helping consumers seek and manage healthcare information online. The site is the first such free site from a major health insurer that is aimed broadly at consumers, not just health-plan members or employees of large corporate clients. Run by UnitedHealth's health-and-wellness services unit, the site includes tools to check symptoms, a search engine for finding specific health or disease information, and a repository where consumers can maintain their personal medical information.