UnitedHealthcare CEO killed tried to improve 'patchwork' system, exec says

Date:

Share post:


NEW YORK — The leader of UnitedHealth Group conceded that the patchwork U.S. health system “does not work as well as it should” but said Friday that the insurance executive gunned down on a Manhattan sidewalk cared about customers and was working to make it better.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was killed last week, was described as kind and brilliant by UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty in a guest essay published in The New York Times.

The killing has been viewed as a violent expression of widespread anger at the insurance industry. Witty said people in the company were struggling to make sense of the killing, as well as the vitriol and threats directed at colleagues.

Police have said that the man charged with killing Thompson, Luigi Mangione, was found with a three-page letter in which he lamented the high cost of health care in the U.S. and singled out UnitedHealthcare for its profits and size. The company, a division of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest U.S. health insurer. Mangione is currently being held in Pennsylvania and intends to plead not guilty to a murder charge in New York, his lawyer has said.

Witty said he understood people’s frustration but described Thompson as part of the solution.

Thompson never forgot growing up in his family’s farmhouse in Iowa and focused on improving the experiences of consumers.

“His dad spent more than 40 years unloading trucks at grain elevators. B.T., as we knew him, worked farm jobs as a kid and fished at a gravel pit with his brother. He never forgot where he came from, because it was the needs of people who live in places like Jewell, Iowa, that he considered first in finding ways to improve care,” Witty wrote.

Witty said his company shares some responsibility for lack of understanding of coverage decisions.

“We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it. No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It’s a patchwork built over decades,” Witty wrote. “Our mission is to help make it work better.”

Police say the shooter waited outside the hotel, where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, early on the morning of Dec. 4. He approached Thompson from behind and shot him before fleeing on a bicycle through Central Park.

Mangione was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of New York City. He is fighting attempts to extradite him to New York so he can face a murder charge in Thompson’s killing.



Source link

Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden is a news writer for LinkDaddy News. She writes health, sport, tech, and more. Some of her favorite topics include the latest trends in fitness and wellness, the best ways to use technology to improve your life, and the latest developments in medical research.

Recent posts

Related articles

Canada's Trudeau urges US consumers to consider the harm of Trump's tariff threats

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Canada's outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday suggested that President-elect Donald Trump's...

Walmart says customers should discard recalled chicken broth

NEW YORK -- Walmart says customers should throw out a chicken broth product that was sold at...

The LA county wildfires could be the costliest in US history, early estimates say

LOS ANGELES -- The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but...

New Orleans attack raises familiar debate: Can Bourbon Street be made safe?

NEW ORLEANS -- The second-guessing began before the bodies had been cleared from the debris of the...

Indonesia and Japan promise deeper defense and economic ties as regional tensions spike

BOGOR, Indonesia -- Japan and Indonesia pledged on Saturday to deepen economic and defense ties during a...

Britain’s Treasury chief kicks off China visit

BEIJING -- Britain’s Treasury chief kicked off a visit to China on Saturday aimed at boosting economic...

'LA Strong' logo and custom gear unveiled to aid Los Angeles wildfire recovery efforts

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles sports organizations are uniting to launch an “LA Strong” custom logo and...

Walgreens tops Wall Street's expectations as drugstore chain continues turnaround plan

Walgreens booked a better-than-expected fiscal first quarter, but the drugstore chain lost $265 million as it closed...