The CEO of the parent company that oversees UnitedHealthcare brazenly defended the insurer as a ‘critical’ part of the healthcare industry amid online support for the gunman who opened fire on the insurance company’s CEO.
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty addressed staff members in a two-minute forty six-second long video three days after the unidentified killer fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, outside of a Manhattan hotel.
In the aftermath of the shooting, many expressed online outrage over the company’s history of rejecting necessary treatment – especially under Thompson – as they praised the gunman for his actions.
But Witty touted Thompson as dedicated to the role of the company and shared how proud he was of ‘what this company does on behalf of people in need across the country.’
He even claimed few people ‘in the history of the US healthcare industry [have] had a biggest effect on American healthcare than Brian.’
Witty reassured staff members in his video, which was leaked to independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, that the insurer would continue to do as it has always done.
He said UnitedHealthcare – the largest health insurance company in the US – would keep putting ‘patients, consumers and members’ first in the company’s ‘journey to help everyone who needs it within the health environment.’
Witty argued that the insurance company’s ‘mission… is truly to make sure that we help the system improve by helping the experiences of individuals get better and better.’
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty addressed staff members in a two-minute forty six-second long video
It came three days after an unidentified gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, outside of a Manhattan hotel
He said its ‘role is a critical role’ in making sure that care is ‘safe, appropriate and is delivered when people need it.
‘We guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe care or for unnecessary care to be delivered in a way which makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable,’ Witty argued.
‘So we continue to make that case,’ he said. ‘We will continue to do the work we do.’
The big boss concluded his brief speech by encouraging staff members ‘to tune out that critical noise that we’re hearing right now.
‘It does not reflect reality. It is simply a sign of an era in which we live,’ Witty insisted, as he urged his colleagues to ‘focus on what we know to be true.
‘And what we know to be true is that the health system needs a company like UnitedHealth Group.’
But insured Americans have long complained that UnitedHealthcare refused to cover their care, as an analysis by ValuePenguin concluded it denies 32 percent of claims – double that of the industry average for large health insurance companies.
Witty praised Thompson as being dedicated to the role of the company
In July, more than 150 protesters from the People’s Action Institute campaign group even gathered outside UHG’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
The protesters sent a letter to Wiley, arguing the company’s ‘profiteering by denying care is a disgrace, leaving people across Minnesota and all of the United States without the care they desperately need.’
Aija Nemer-Aanerud, campaign director with the People’s Action Institute, further claimed to CBS News that UHG’s leadership ‘refused to acknowledge that prior authorizations and claim denials are a widespread problem.’
Police ultimately arrested 11 people in the demonstration, who were charged with misdemeanors related to blocking the public highway outside the building, according to online clinical publication Dark Daily.
Afterward, UnitedHealthcare released a statement saying it had ‘resolved the member-specific concerns raised by this group and remain open to a constructive dialogue about ensuring access to high-quality, affordable care.’
Yet the criticisms did not stop there, with many posting online about their experiences with the company following Thompson’s death.
UnitedHealthcare Group has come under fire in recent years by furious patients who claim the insurer refused to cover their care. Many staged protests like the above demonstration in Minnesota in April
In July, more than 150 protesters from the People’s Action Institute campaign group gathered outside UHG’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota
‘I’m an ER nurse and the things I’ve seen dying patients get denied for by insurance makes me physically sick. I just can’t feel sympathy for him because of all of those patients and their families,’ one TikTok user wrote of the father of two.
Another user wrote on Twitter/X: ‘I saw the news of this literally while on the phone with UHC about them denying my prior authorization for medication. Wild stuff.’
The moderators of the r/medicine forum even had to close a Reddit thread after news of Thompson’s death collected more than 500 replies, often critical of UnitedHealthcare.
The top comment, from a nurse, was a lengthy parody of a template response denying pay-out for the victim.
‘We understand that you were actively “bleeding out,” but this does not exempt you from exploring lower-cost care pathways,’ the post said.
A post by a nurse on r/medicine on Reddit parodied UnitedHealthcare’s responses to claims
Users showed apathy towards the news in posts on social media
Meanwhile, UnitedHealthcare had also been facing legal challenges.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice launched a probe into whether UnitedHealthcare was unfairly restricting competitors and running a monopoly.
The DoJ also sued to block the company’s acquisition of home health and hospice provider Amedisys, naming Thompson and others and accusing them of unlawful practices.
Thompson was accused of being aware of the DoJ probe into the company and not telling investors before he unloaded over 31 percent of his stock.
‘We are challenging this merger because home health and hospice patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options,’ Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said.
‘The Justice Department will not hesitate to check unlawful consolidation and monopolization in the healthcare market that threatens to harm vulnerable patients, their families, and health care workers.’
UnitdHealthcare had been facing legal challenges before Thompson’s death
UnitedHealthcare was also accused of using AI to deny claims for post-acute care services in Medicare Advantage plans in a lawsuit filed earlier this month, according to Fierce Healthcare.
The proposed class action was filed by families of two senior Medicare Advantage members who died after the insurer allegedly used the NaviHealth platform illegally to reject care, as UHG profits ballooned.
According to the lawsuit, the technology has a ’90 percent error rate, and the company relies on patient complacency or lack of knowledge about the systems to keep using it.
‘Defendants bank on the patients’ impaired conditions, lack of knowledge, and lack of resources to appeal the erroneous AI-powered decisions,’ they said in the lawsuit.
In a statement to Fierce Healthcare, UnitedHealth said the lawsuit ‘had no merit’ because they were not using NaviHealth to make decisions on coverage.
‘The NaviHealth predict tool is not used to make coverage determinations,’ a spokesperson said. ‘The tool is used as a guide to help us inform providers, families and other caregivers about what sort of assistance and care the patient may need both in the facility and after returning home.
‘Coverage decisions are based on CMS coverage criteria and the terms of the member’s plan.’
It is believed the gunman may have been a disgruntled client of the health insurance company.
It is now believed that Thompson’s as-yet unidentified killer may have been a disgruntled client of the health insurance company.
Police have said the shooter opened fire on Thompson in the back and leg outside the New York Hilton Midtown at around 6.45am on Wednesday
He fired several shots during the ambush and even jammed his gun in the process, which he managed to clear quickly to continue firing.
The attacker is believed to have used a rare World War Two era-inspired 9mm gun, which the New York Post reported was a Swiss-made Brugger & Thomet VP9.
Ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words ‘delay,’ ‘deny’ and ‘depose’, mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics.
The killer then fled the scene by riding an electric bike up 6th Avenue towards Central Park, and he was spotted leaving the park at 6.56am.
The latest images of the killer appear to have been taken inside the taxi which picked him up on 86th Street and Columbus Avenue two minutes after he left Central Park
The latest images of the killer appear to have been taken inside the taxi which picked him up on 86th Street and Columbus Avenue two minutes after he left Central Park.
Retracing the gunman’s steps using surveillance video, police say, it appears he left the city by bus around 45 minutes after the shooting.
He was seen on video at an uptown bus station, according to NYPD chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
Authorities are now investigating the Midtown Manhattan murder as an assassination, while the hunt for the mystery assailant continues beyond New York state lines.
The FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
That is on top of a reward of up to $10,000 dollars offered by the NYPD. Police say they believe the suspect acted alone.
