New York Post political reporter John Levine discusses the fatal murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the case against Daniel Penney on The Big Money Show.
Officials are still investigating the murder UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York hotel early Wednesday, police said it was a targeted attack.
While New York City police have yet to reveal a possible motive for the murder, the nation’s largest health insurance company has come under fire in recent months for allegedly improperly denying claims.
This 2017 photo of Brian Thompson was released via Businesswire when he was named chief executive officer of the UnitedHealthcare division in 2017. Thompson was killed in an apparent targeted attack on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and two children (Businesswire/Fox News)
Over the summer, about a dozen people were arrested during a protest outside the headquarters of UnitedHealth Group, part of UnitedHealthcare, in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The demonstration was organized by the Institute of People’s Action, which accused the company of refusing to pay for what patients needed health procedures.
“Health insurance has expanded in America, but we’re finding that private health insurance corporations are often the biggest obstacle to people getting the care they and their doctor agree they need.” Aya Nemer-Anerud Institute of People’s Action. told ABC News at that time.
WHO WAS BRIAN THOMPSON, CEO OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE?
In response, UnitedHealth said in a statement: “The safety and security of our employees is a top priority. We have addressed the concerns of members of this group and remain open to constructive dialogue about ensuring access to high-quality, affordable care.”
A UnitedHealthcare sign is displayed outside a store in the Queens borough of New York, the United States, on Monday, January 14, 2013. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
| Ticker | Security | The last one | A change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENT | UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC. | 610.20 | +1.82 |
+0.30% |
According to Fierce Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare was also hit by a potential class-action lawsuit earlier this month from the families of two deceased Medicare Advantage patients who allege the company used the AI-driven naviHealth algorithm to deny medically necessary care.
A spokesman for UnitedHealthcare told the publication in a statement that “the lawsuit has no merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves.”
“The naviHealth prediction tool is not used to determine coverage,” the spokesperson said. “The tool is used as a guide to help us inform providers, families and other caregivers about what care and support the patient may need both in the facility and after returning home. Coverage decisions are based on CMS coverage criteria and the terms of the enrollee’s plan.”
UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO DEAD AT MANHATTAN HOTEL In ‘targeted’ attack, suspect at large
Following the news of Thompson’s murder on Wednesday, some people took to social media to criticize UnitedHealthcare’s denial rates.
Liberal journalist Ken Klippenstein published an uncited chart showing that UnitedHealthcare denies claims at twice the industry average, calling the data a “legacy” of Thompson.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband received death threats before the murder, and suggested that the threats outweighed the coverage.
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“There were some threats,” she told the publication. “Basically, I don’t know, lack of lighting? I don’t know the details. I just know he said there were some people who threatened him.’
