Optum’s artificial intelligence division is partnering with California Medicaid insurer Alameda Alliance for Health to automate claims adjudication using agentic AI.
The partnership will start with claims workflows and expand to other operational areas, Ed Bowen, PhD, senior vice president and head of OptumAI, said in a Nov. 6 LinkedIn post.
Alameda Alliance is a nonprofit plan serving more than 410,000 Medi-Cal enrollees. The insurer is bracing for a potential membership reduction of up to 45% over the next three years as federal Medicaid funding cuts take effect.
The deal adds to a widening roster of AI partnerships for Optum. UnitedHealth Group is spending roughly $1.5 billion on AI in 2026, with about a third going toward software products and platforms at Optum Insight, the company’s technology division.
Optum also struck a partnership with Anthropic in July to embed AI across healthcare operations and launched AI-powered prior authorization tools for both payers and providers earlier this year.
