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Due in one year or less, Amortized Cost Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, Year One Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract] Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract] Debt Disclosure [Abstract] Debt Disclosure [Abstract] Debt Instrument, Name [Domain] Debt Instrument, Name [Domain] Segment Reporting Segment Reporting [Text Block] Investments [Text Block] Investment in Debt and Equity Securities and Other Trading Assets [Text Block] Maturities of investments Proceeds from Maturities, Prepayments and Calls of Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale Cash dividends paid Payments of Ordinary Dividends, Common Stock Payments of Ordinary Dividends, Common Stock Expiration Date Trading Arrangement Expiration Date Securities, Held to maturity, Unrecognized Holding Gain Debt Securities, Held-to-Maturity, Accumulated Unrecognized Gain Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents Effect of Exchange Rate on Cash, Cash Equivalent, 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[Member] Common stock, shares authorized Common Stock, Shares Authorized Due after ten years, Fair Value Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Fair Value, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, after Year 10 Exercise Price Award Exercise Price Investing activities Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activity, Including Discontinued Operation [Abstract] Statement [Line Items] Segment Reporting [Line Items] Document Quarterly Report Document Quarterly Report Disposal Group [Table] Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Table] Year-over-Year Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years That are Outstanding and Unvested Year-over-Year Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years That are Outstanding and Unvested [Member] Segments [Domain] Segments [Domain] State and Municipal Obligations [Member] US States and Political Subdivisions Debt Securities [Member] Sales of investments Proceeds from Sale of Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale 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Value [Text Block] Fair Value Disclosures [Text Block] Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] Reclassification adjustment for translation gains included in net earnings Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Reclassification Adjustment from AOCI, Realized upon Sale or Liquidation, Net of Tax PEO Name PEO Name Total medical payments Liability for Unpaid Claims and Claims Adjustment Expense, Claims Paid Equity Securities, FV-NI and without Readily Determinable Fair Value Equity Securities, FV-NI and without Readily Determinable Fair Value Stock Price or TSR Estimation Method Stock Price or TSR Estimation Method [Text Block] Entity Tax Identification Number Entity Tax Identification Number Revenue [Policy Text Block] Revenue [Policy Text Block] Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period Cash and cash equivalents, end of period Cash, Cash Equivalent, Restricted Cash, and Restricted Cash Equivalent, Continuing Operation United Health Foundation contribution United Health Foundation contribution [Member] United Health Foundation contribution Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code Aggregate Erroneous Compensation Not Yet Determined Aggregate Erroneous Compensation Not Yet Determined [Text Block] Material Terms of Trading Arrangement Material Terms of Trading Arrangement [Text Block] Non-NEOs Non-NEOs [Member] Vesting Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted and Vested in Covered Year Vesting Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted and Vested in Covered Year [Member] Comprehensive income Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Debt Instrument [Axis] Debt Instrument [Axis] Measurement Frequency [Domain] Measurement Frequency [Domain] Share-based compensation Share-Based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense Cash dividends paid on common shares Dividends, Cash Customer [Domain] Customer [Domain] Long-Term Debt, Type [Domain] Long-Term Debt, Type [Domain] Due after five years through ten years, Amortized Cost Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, after Year 5 Through 10 Basic Earnings Per Share, Basic Common share repurchases Payments for Repurchase of Common Stock Total current assets Assets, Current Insider Trading Arrangements [Line Items] Long-term debt, less current maturities Long-Term Debt, Excluding Current Maturities Award Type Award Type [Axis] Named Executive Officers, Footnote Named Executive Officers, Footnote [Text Block] Accounts receivable, net Accounts Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss, Current Accounts Receivable, after Allowance for Credit Loss, Current Retained earnings Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit) Product and Service [Axis] Product and Service [Axis] Equity Securities, FV-NI Equity Securities, FV-NI Aggregate Change in Present Value of Accumulated Benefit for All 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noncontrolling interests and equity Liabilities and Equity Employee Stock Option Share-Based Payment Arrangement, Option [Member] Short-term borrowings and current maturities of long-term debt Debt, Current Segment Reporting, Entity-Wide Information Not Provided as Part of Reportable Segment, Geographical Area, Revenue and Long-Lived Asset [Table] Segment Reporting, Entity-Wide Information Not Provided as Part of Reportable Segment, Geographical Area, Revenue and Long-Lived Asset [Table] Fair Value [Line Items] Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items] Nonredeemable noncontrolling interests Equity, Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Segments [Axis] Segments [Axis] Additional 402(v) Disclosure Additional 402(v) Disclosure [Text Block] Tabular List, Table Tabular List [Table Text Block] Repayments of care provider loans - cyberattack Repayments of care provider loans - cyberattack Repayments of care provider loans - cyberattack Additional paid-in capital Additional Paid in Capital Short-Term and Long-Term Investments [Table Text Block] Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments [Table Text Block] Name Awards Close in Time to MNPI Disclosures, Individual Name Repayments and maturities of loans Repayments and maturities of loans Repayments and maturities of loans Purchases of investments Payments to Acquire Investments Debt Securities, Held-to-Maturity, Amortized Cost, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, after Year 5 Through 10 Debt Securities, Held-to-Maturity, Amortized Cost, after Allowance for Credit Loss, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, after Year 5 through 10 Year-end Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Covered Year that are Outstanding and Unvested Year-end Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Covered Year that are Outstanding and Unvested [Member] Amount collected in 2026 related to receivables sold in 2025 Receivables financing facility amount collected in 2026 related to receivables sold in 2025 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[Policy Text Block] Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block] Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract] Name Measure Name Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Line Items] Fair Value Hierarchy and NAV [Domain] Fair Value Hierarchy and NAV [Domain] Fair Value Hierarchy and NAV [Domain] Other, net Other Noncash Income (Expense) Debt Instrument [Line Items] Debt Instrument [Line Items] Pay vs Performance Disclosure Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] Additional Paid-In Capital [Member] Additional Paid-in Capital [Member] Entity Filer Category Entity Filer Category Total, Fair Value Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Unrealized Loss Position Short-term investments Short-Term Investments Gain on disposition of business Gain on disposition of business Gain on disposition of business Name Trading Arrangement, Individual Name Cash and cash equivalents Cash and Cash Equivalent Company Selected Measure Amount Company Selected Measure Amount Net earnings Net earnings Net earnings Net Income (Loss), Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Other Businesses, Held-for-Sale, Not Discontinued Operations Other Businesses, Held-for-Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] Other Businesses, Held-for-Sale, Not Discontinued Operations Forward Share Repurchase Contracts - Liability Amount Forward Share Repurchase Contracts - Liability Amount Forward Share Repurchase Contracts - Liability Amount Current assets: Assets, Current [Abstract] Non-PEO NEO Non-PEO NEO [Member] Entity Address, Address Line One Entity Address, Address Line One Provision for income taxes Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Net Earnings, Including Portion Attributable to Nonredeemable Noncontrolling Interest Net Income (Loss), Including Portion Attributable to Nonredeemable Noncontrolling Interest Cost of products sold Cost of Product and Service Sold Award Timing Method Award Timing Method [Text Block] Contingencies, Nature [Domain] Loss Contingency, Nature [Domain] Net increase in cash and cash equivalents Cash, Cash Equivalent, Restricted Cash, and Restricted Cash Equivalent, Period Increase (Decrease), Including Exchange Rate Effect and Discontinued Operation Forward Share Repurchase Contracts - Counterparty Purchase Average Price Forward Share Repurchase Contracts - Counterparty Purchase Average Price Forward Share Repurchase Contracts - Counterparty Purchase Average Price Forgone Recovery, Explanation of Impracticability Forgone Recovery, Explanation of Impracticability [Text Block] Net earnings attributable to UnitedHealth Group common shareholders Net earnings Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent Long-Term Debt, Type [Axis] Long-Term Debt, Type [Axis] Erroneous Compensation Analysis Erroneous Compensation Analysis [Text Block] Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Goodwill Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Goodwill Statement [Table] Statement [Table] Restatement Determination Date: Restatement Determination Date [Axis] Receivables sold under receivables financing facility Transfer of Financial Assets Accounted for as Sales, Cash Proceeds Received for Assets Derecognized, Amount Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity, Cumulative Unrecognized Gain Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale and Held-to-Maturity, Cumulative Unrecognized Gain Revenues: Revenues [Abstract] Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] Pension Benefits Adjustments, Footnote Pension Benefits Adjustments, Footnote [Text Block] Debt Securities, Held-to-Maturity, Amortized Cost, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, after Year 10 Debt Securities, Held-to-Maturity, Amortized Cost, after Allowance for Credit Loss, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, after Year 10