Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, expressed concerns about the company’s eroding public reputation months before he was killed in a shooting incident in midtown Manhattan, New York, on December 4, 2024.
An anonymous source informed The Washington Post that Thompson was well aware of the public’s dissatisfaction with UnitedHealthcare’s perceived actions. “He was actively articulating a vision that helped better educate and help people understand what the company is doing,” said the source.
In 2024, Thompson had internal discussions in which he asserted that the average American did not comprehend UnitedHealthcare’s role in the country’s healthcare system. He encouraged fellow executives to highlight the company’s efforts to remove out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving medication.
Simultaneously, UnitedHealthcare and its parent company, UnitedHealth Group, were dealing with a Department of Justice investigation, insider trading accusations against Thompson, and public backlash over allegations of profiteering by denying healthcare to sick and elderly patients.
Authorities suggest that this public anger incited 26-year-old Luigi Mangione to allegedly shoot Thompson at close range outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan. Mangione was subsequently arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being recognized from surveillance videos by employees and customers.
Upon arrest, Mangione was found in possession of a 3D-printed handgun and a black silencer loaded with a Glock magazine and six 9mm full-metal jacket bullets. The ammunition was consistent with that used in the shooting of Thompson, marked with the words “depose,” “deny,” and “defend.”
Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, penned an op-ed piece, stating, “Together with employers, governments, and others who pay for care, we need to improve how we explain what insurance covers and how decisions are made.” He added that each decision is based on a comprehensive, regularly updated body of clinical evidence aimed at ensuring the best health outcomes and patient safety.
A spokesperson for the company stated that UnitedHealthcare approves about 90% of medical claims at first submission, with only 0.5% of rejections resulting from medical or clinical reasons.
However, the company now faces additional scrutiny due to leaked internal documents detailing plans to restrict coverage for applied behavior analysis therapy for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The documents reveal Optum, which manages mental health benefits for United, plans to “prevent new providers from joining the network” and “terminate” current ones, despite acknowledging a nationwide shortage of covered therapists.
Optum is also conducting thorough and labor-intensive clinical reviews to assess the medical necessity of a patient’s therapy, a process that could result in denial of coverage.
