The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week in New York has revealed a growing anger against the insurance industry as clues found at the scene of the crime point to a targeted attack.
Thompson was shot and killed on the morning of December 4 outside the New York Hilton Hotel. He was 50.
The gunman, who has yet to be found and whose motives were unknown, appeared to have been waiting for Thompson. He fired multiple shots at the executive, who was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital where he died shortly after, according to the New York Police Department.
Three words - “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” – were found in the bullet casings found at the crime scene. Authorities believe the inscriptions could be symbolic, possibly referencing systemic practices in the insurance industry.
Those three words, however, were not the only signs surrounding the case. Thompson’s wife, Paulette, has told NBC in an interview that her husband had previously received threatening messages, potentially due to a lack of medical coverage by his company.
Earlier this year in July, more than 100 people protested outside the headquarters of UnitedHealthcare in Minnesota, condemning the company’s policies and denial of patient claims, the BBC reported.
The “prior authorization” process allows insurance companies to review suggested treatments before agreeing to pay for them.
Eleven people were arrested following that protest, according to BBC. Police records say the protesters came from around the country.
In an interview, Unai Montes-Irueste, the media strategy director of People’s Action Institute, the group that organized the protest, said that the protesters had personal experience with denied claims and an appeals process that is difficult to win.
“We have a balkanised and broken healthcare system, which is why there are very strong feelings being expressed right now by folks who are experiencing that broken system in various different ways,” he said.
Still, Montes-Irueste said that although he understood the bitterness over the broken system, the news of Thompson’s killing was shocking, adding that his group campaigned in a nonviolent and democratic way.
With the seemingly swelling rage against insurance companies, should these companies be compelled to increase the level of security they enforce to protect their executives? Paul Sarnese, the former president of an organization dedicated to protecting the healthcare industry, seems to think so.
Sarnese said threats against healthcare employees, particularly executives, have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the stress faced by people who not only have medical conditions, but also financial distress due to their claims being denied could push someone to threaten executives or act upon their threats.
Thompson’s former bodyguard was shocked that the executive did not have security for his trip to New York. Philip Klein, who leads Klein Investigations, said that insurers need to realize that there is currently a lot of hate in America.
“Companies need to wake up and realise that their executives could be hunted down anywhere,” Klein said to BBC.
UnitedHealth, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare and one of the biggest healthcare companies in the US, had a security team at the hotel, but not outside of it, according to a source. The company declined to comment on the matter.
