The predecessor of the company was founded in 1978 by Samuel J. Tibbitts as a subsidiary of the
Lutheran Hospital Society of Southern California. PacifiCare was incorporated in 1983. In 1985, PacifiCare of Oregon was created. In 1993, Alan Hoops replaced Terry Hartshorn as president and CEO. The company also acquired Freedom Plan, California Dental Health Plan, and Advantage Health Plans. In 1996, it acquired FHP. In December 2005, the company was acquired by
UnitedHealth Group. At that time, the company had 705,000
Medicare enrollees. The company continued to market health plans under the PacifiCare and SecureHorizons names until 2011, when it changed to the UnitedHealthcare name. ==Sponsorship and philanthropy==