New York police are continuing to search the scene where 50-year-old UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson was shot and killed yesterday.
A manhunt has been launched following a “targeted attack” after the CEO was ambushed and shot by a masked assailant close to the Hilton Hotel.
The unidentified figure approached Mr Thompson and shot him in the back and leg before fleeing on an e-bike.
Detectives have yet to identify a motive or the identity of the attacker but believe it wasn’t a random act of violence.
In a statement, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said: "I want to be clear. At this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
Mr Thompson had been at the helm of UnitedHealthcare, America’s biggest private health insurance company, since 2021.
Unlike the UK, millions of Americans rely on these businesses to help pay extortionate healthcare bills in a privatised sector. However, one in seven insurance claims in the US are denied.
According to his wife, Mr Thompson had received threats over “medical coverage” in the past.
"There had been some threats," Paulette Thompson told NBC in an interview. "Basically, I don’t know, a lack of [medical] coverage? I don’t know details."
So who was Mr Thompson and what are UnitedHealthcare known for?
Who was Brian Thompson?
Mr Thompson had a background in business administration and previously worked at PwC before venturing into health insurance.
He started working at the insurance giant in 2004 and worked his way up to executive leadership.
At the time of his death, the CEO and dad of two earned millions of dollars each year from his role as the head of United Health. The BBC reported that he earned £8m in 2023 alone.
Away from his work, he lived in Minnesota with his family, who have paid tribute to him following his death.
"Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” his sister-in-law said.
UnitedHealth Group also issued a statement, adding the company was "deeply saddened and shocked" to hear about the killing.
His death has also prompted a slew of social media comments, with many people taking aim at America’s health insurance landscape and the challenges everyday Americans face in trying to pay for healthcare – as well as the role insurers play in that.
According to CNN, he was investigated for allegations of insider trading earlier this year after he made a $15m (£11.7m) profit by selling 31 per cent of his shares just before the stock value plummeted.
What is UnitedHealthcare?
UnitedHealth Group is America’s largest healthcare conglomerate and oversees more than 2,300 companies within the brand.
Within the organisation sits UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance branch of the conglomerate that Mr Thompson oversaw.
UnitedHealthcare provides health insurance for individuals and employers, as well as Medicare coverage, and had more than 53 million customers around the world in 2023.
However, according to the American Economic Liberties Project, the organisation has a history of denying claims for procedures and medications. This forces Americans to pay for their healthcare bills out of their own pockets.
Between 2019 and 2022, UnitedHealth’s post-acute services denial rate reportedly rose to 22.7 per cent.
In 2023, an AI algorithm used by the insurance giant systematically denied elderly people’s claims for care like nursing-home support.
