In a shocking pre-dawn attack in Manhattan, Brian Thompson, CEO of the UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed. The 50-year-old victim was in the city attending a conference for the company, which is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, America’s fourth-largest revenue earner after Walmart, Amazon, and Apple. The incident took place just outside the Midtown Hilton hotel, the venue of the conference, and was captured on CCTV.
The footage revealed a man in a black hoodie shooting Thompson before fleeing the scene on an e-bike, later believed to have left New York City by bus. A cryptic message was left behind at the murder scene, inscribed on the bullet casings – ‘Deny’, ‘Defend’, ‘Depose’, seemingly a reference to the tactics insurers often use to avoid paying out clients.
The murder has sparked outrage and a wave of stories about healthcare claims denied by insurers. There has been a significant backlash against the US health insurance industry for its practices, with healthcare costs leading to bankruptcy for many Americans. The incident has also led to a broader conversation about the public’s anger towards the system and the extreme lengths to which it might drive some.
The method of ‘Delay, Deny, and Defend’ was popularized by law professor Jay Feinman in his book, arguing that it became a strategy for top insurers in the 1990s. This approach, he claimed, was boosted by the consultancy firm McKinsey & Company, which helped insurers develop strategies to handle claims and undervalue them.
The killing has sent shockwaves through the health insurance sector, prompting a reassessment of the security risks facing its senior figures. The UnitedHealth Group has already increased security at its multiple sites, while other companies have taken steps such as removing photos of their executives from their websites.
The man believed to be responsible for the murder is still at large, with New York Police working tirelessly to analyze surveillance footage and DNA evidence in the hope of capturing him. Despite the tragedy, the commitment to bring the perpetrator to justice remains strong.
