UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty expressed sympathy with the public's frustrations over the healthcare system in a Dec. 13 op-ed published in The New York Times.
UnitedHealthcare, and the broader health insurance industry, have been the subject of public scrutiny and vitriol in the aftermath of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mr. Thompson had led UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group's insurance arm, since 2021. He was fatally shot Dec. 4 outside of the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City, where UnitedHealth Group was hosting its annual investor day conference. In the days following the attack, individuals took to social media to share their experiences with delayed and denied care by UnitedHealthcare and other insurers. Some reacted with what the Times described as "morbid glee" over Mr. Thompson's death.
In the op-ed, the CEO of the nation's largest healthcare company addressed the backlash against the industry for the first time publicly.
"We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people's frustrations with it," Mr. Witty wrote. He called for a broader effort from insurers, employers, governments and others who pay for care to explain how and why coverage decisions are made.
"Healthcare is both intensely personal and very complicated, and the reasons behind coverage decisions are not well understood. We share some of the responsibility for that," he wrote.
UnitedHealth Group's purpose is to "build a healthcare system that works better for everyone," according to Mr. Witty.
Mr. Witty's comments echo other insurer CEOs who have spoken out since the attack.
Sachin Jain, MD, CEO of SCAN Group, a nonprofit insurer, told The Wall Street Journal Dec. 10 that a "broader reckoning" with the insurance industry is taking place.
"Most people who work in health plans believe they are supporting action for patients, but it's clearer than ever that the American public doesn't necessarily see it that way," Dr. Jain said.
While Luigi Mangione, the alleged suspect in Mr. Thompson's killing, was not insured by UnitedHealthcare, a top official for the New York City Police Department said he may have chosen to target UnitedHealthcare because of its size, according to NBC News. UnitedHealth Group is the largest healthcare company in the world, and the fourth largest company in the U.S., behind only Walmart, Amazon and Apple. Mr. Mangione was found with a manifesto condemning the healthcare industry for putting profits over patient care when he was arrested, police said.
In the aftermath of the shooting, insurers have ramped up security around their executives. The New York City Police Department has warned other health insurance executives that their safety could also be at risk.
UnitedHealth Group employees have been "barraged by threats" in the days since the attack, Mr. Witty wrote.
"No employees — be they the people who answer customer calls or nurses who visit patients in their homes — should have to fear for their and their loved ones' safety," he wrote.
Mr. Thompson, 50, first joined Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and held numerous leadership positions across the company. Before UnitedHealth, he held management roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Minnesota. He graduated with a bachelors of business administration and accounting from the University of Iowa in 1997.
Mr. Thompson was "never content with the status quo," Mr. Witty wrote, and was dedicated to improving healthcare.
"The ideas he advocated were aimed at making healthcare more affordable, more transparent, more intuitive, more compassionate — and more human," Mr. Witty wrote. "That's Brian's legacy, one that we will carry forward by continuing our work to make the health system work better for everyone."