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Brian Robert Thompson[1][2] (July 10, 1974 – December 4, 2024) was an American businessman. He was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, from April 2021 until his killing in December 2024.
Brian Thompson | |
---|---|
Born | Brian Robert Thompson July 10, 1974 United States |
Died | December 4, 2024 New York City, U.S. | (aged 50)
Cause of death | Murder by gunshot wound |
Alma mater | University of Iowa (BBA) |
Occupation | Businessman |
Title | CEO, UnitedHealthcare |
Term | 2021–2024 |
Spouse | Paulette Reveiz |
Children | 2 |
Education
Thompson was born on July 10, 1974.[3] He attended South Hamilton High School in Jewell Junction, Iowa, graduating in 1993 as class valedictorian.[4][5] Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997, where he studied business administration and accounting.[5][6]
Career
From 1997 to 2004, Thompson worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a manager in the transaction advisory services group of the audit practice.[7] Thompson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare government programs that included Medicare and retirement, and community and state divisions in 2021.[8]
Controversies
The Associated Press described Thompson as keeping "a low public profile". However, he had a few moments in the public spotlight, such as during an investor meeting in 2023 when he announced UnitedHealthcare was shifting to a "value-based care" model by paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick.[9]
In 2021, Thompson was criticized in an open letter from the American Hospital Association regarding a plan from UnitedHealthcare to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. UnitedHealthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change.[9]
A lawsuit was filed against Thompson in May 2024 for alleged fraud and insider trading due to failing to disclose an antitrust investigation into the company by the United States Department of Justice and by selling stock options before the probe was made public.[10][4][11]
Personal life
Thompson's father was Dennis Thompson, a grain elevator worker, and his mother was Pat (Hunter) Thompson. He had one brother, Mark.[3] Thompson was known to friends and colleagues as B.T.[12] Brian was married to Paulette Reveiz Thompson, a physical therapist and fellow University of Iowa graduate.[13] They had two sons.[14][15] They resided in Maple Grove, Minnesota.[16]
Assassination
On December 4, 2024, at 6:45 a.m. EST, Thompson was in New York for an annual UnitedHealthcare investors meeting. As he was walking along West 54th Street toward the New York Hilton Midtown hotel which was hosting the meeting, he was shot by a gunman dressed in a black hoodie and armed with a silenced 9mm pistol.[17] The gunman waited outside the building for several minutes, which led the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to believe it was a targeted attack, and shot Thompson several times from approximately 20 feet (6 m) away, striking him in the back and right calf.[18] Police initially said that the gunman fled the scene on an electric Citi Bike, but Lyft, Citi Bike's parent company, later said NYPD officials retracted that claim.[19] Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. Both the NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams said the attack appeared to be a targeted hit and was not a random attack. The gunman has yet to be found.[20][17]
The words "deny", "defend", and "depose" were found written on shell casings at the scene.[21] These may indicate a motive, as they are similar to "delay, deny, defend", an insurance industry phrase.[22]
Thompson's wife said that he had received threats in the past, citing lack of coverage as a possible reason for the threats.[23] In response to the killing, some public officials expressed dismay and offered condolences to the family.[24] In contrast, many social media users celebrated the killing and shared their contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system.[25][26][27]
Thompson's killing has widely been described as an assassination.[28]
See also
- Assassination of Brian Thompson
- Andrew Witty, CEO of the UnitedHealth Group
- Stephen J. Hemsley, chairman of UnitedHealth Group
- Richard T. Burke, founder of UnitedHealth Group
- Healthcare in the United States
References
- ^ "Q2 2024 Unitedhealth Group Inc Earnings Call". Thomson Reuters StreetEvents. July 17, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024 – via Yahoo Finance.
- ^ Tozzi, John; Miller, Myles (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealth Executive Fatally Shot in NYC, Sparking Manhunt". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Gabriel, Trip (December 4, 2024). "Brian Thompson, Health Insurance Executive, Dies at 50". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Towfighi, John; Goldman, David (December 4, 2024). "Who was Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare fatally shot in Manhattan?". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "University of Iowa alum and UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Manhattan". KGAN. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^
- Lukpat, Alyssa; Mathews, Anna Wilde (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealth Executive Shot Dead Outside Manhattan Hotel". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- Baresky, John G. (April 7, 2021). "Executive Profile: Brian Thompson, New Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare". Bare Sky Marketing. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- Jane, Emma (December 4, 2024). "UI 1997 valedictorian and UnitedHealthcare CEO killed in targeted shooting". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ "Our leadership". UnitedHealthcare. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ "Brian Thompson". UnitedHealth Group. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Geller, Adam; Murphy, Tom (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ "UnitedHealth chair, execs sold $102M in stock before DOJ probe became public". Crain's New York Business. April 16, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Graig Graziosi (December 5, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO gunned down in Manhattan sold company stocks just before DOJ probe made public". The Independent. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Wilde Mathews, Anne; Bauerlein, Valerie (December 4, 2024). "Slain Health-Insurance Executive Brought Small Town Geniality to Big Job". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Snowbeck, Christopher (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson killed in 'brazen, targeted attack' in NYC; manhunt underway". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Thiede, Dana (December 4, 2024). "Who was Brian Thompson? UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in New York City". KARE. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Walrath-Holdridge, Mary; Cann, Christopher (December 4, 2024). "Who was Brian Thompson? CEO of UnitedHealthcare fatally shot in Manhattan". USA Today. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Sager, Monica (December 4, 2024). "Minnesota leaders react to UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting death". Newsweek. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Mascarenhas, Lauren; Chowdhury, Maureen; Yan, Holly (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in New York City". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Breen, Kerry (December 4, 2024). "Gunman who killed Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare CEO, is on the loose. What we know about the suspect". CBS News. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Offenhartz, Jake; Matthews, Karen; Sisak, Michael (December 4, 2024). "Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street". AP News. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ *Marcius, Chelsia (December 4, 2024). "C.E.O. of UnitedHealthcare Is Fatally Shot in Midtown Manhattan". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- Cann, Christopher (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in New York City, reports say". USA Today. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- Hooper, Kelly (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO shot and killed in New York City". Politico. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- Miller, John; Musa, Amanda; Riess, Rebekah (December 4, 2024). "United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in midtown Manhattan, official says". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Katersky, Aaron; Shapiro, Emily; Cohen, Miles (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson shot dead in Midtown Manhattan, masked gunman at large". ABC News. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Miller, John; Musa, Amanda; Riess, Rebekah; Goldman, David; Gingras, Brynn (December 4, 2024). "Gunman at large after UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in 'brazen targeted attack,' police say". CNN. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Burke, Minyvonne; Li, David K.; Fonrouge, Gabrielle (December 4, 2024). "UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot outside NYC hotel in 'premeditated, preplanned targeted attack'". NBC News. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Helsel, Phil (December 4, 2024). "Minnesota Gov. Walz, Sen. Klobuchar call killing of CEO tragic and horrifying". NBC News. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Novak, Matt (December 4, 2024). "Bitter Americans React to UnitedHealthcare CEO's Murder: 'My Empathy Is Out of Network'". Gizmodo. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Thalen, Mikael (December 4, 2024). "Grim memes highlight bleak state of insurance in wake of UnitedHealth CEO shooting". Daily Dot. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Klee, Miles (December 4, 2024). "Social Media Has Little Sympathy for Murdered Health Insurance Exec". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Michael; Marcius, Chelsia; Cramer, Maria; Rennison, Joe (December 5, 2024). "Manhunt Enters Second Day After Health Executive Is Gunned Down in Manhattan". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
External links
- Brian Thompson - UnitedHealth Group at the Wayback Machine (archived 2024-08-24)