Any hopes that the shocking reaction to the brazen shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson would be a wake-up call for his troubled industry should be put on hold, it appears. In a video message to employees of the company, Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare parent company, UnitedHealth Group, doubled down on the importance and value of the insurance company, and told its employees to ignore any “critical noise” regarding the American health care insurance system.
Thompson, a 50-year-old who had worked for UnitedHealthcare since 2004, was shot and killed Wednesday morning outside the hotel where his company was holding an investors meeting. The manhunt for his killer has dominated headlines and news programs since then, a likely combination of the national obsession with true crime and our country’s frustration with a health insurance industry known to worry, infuriate, and stonewall its users.
That mixture led to a wave of reaction notable—even in these oft-inhumane times—for its lack of sympathy for the victim of a crime. Sharing screengrabs of just a few critical and joking responses to the news of Thompson’s shooting, Justice Is Global founder Tobita Chow wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “political and industry leaders might want to read the comments and think hard about them.” As of publication time, Chow’s post has been viewed nearly 10 million times.
But though the reaction to Thompson’s slaying has been characterized in the press as “gleeful” or “mocking,” to Witty—a British business executive knighted in 2012 for “services to the economy and to the UK pharmaceutical industry”—they’re a result of “aggressive, inappropriate and disrespectful” media coverage of the issue.
In a video address shared with journalist Ken Klippenstein, Witty encouraged employees to avoid members of the press, saying, “You’ve seen a lot of media interest in this situation with a huge amount of misinformation and frankly offensive communication.”
“People are writing things we simply don’t recognize,” he said, perhaps a reference to coverage from outlets such as the Washington Post, which on Friday detailed several scandals and legal battles faced by the $400 billion company Witty heads, including increased requirements for “prior authorization” to cover live-saving care and an alleged profit-boosting strategy of increased claim rejection.
“I’m sure everybody has been disturbed by the amount of negative and, in many cases, vitriolic media and commentary produced over the last few days, particularly in the social media environment,” Witty said. “I’d encourage you to tune out that critical noise that we’re hearing right now. It does not reflect reality.”
Chow disagrees. Speaking with the Post, Chow characterized the reaction detailed in his tweet as one that “speaks to this underlying populist frustration and even rage.”
“I don’t know if I know anybody who hasn’t gone through some nightmare experience with their health insurance provider,” Chow said.
There’s clearly a gap in experience between Chow and Witty, who was reportedly paid $23.5 million in 2023. Speaking to his company’s staff, Witty painted a very different portrait of the nation’s health care and Unitedhealthcare’s role in its customer’s lives.
“What we know to be true is the health system needs a company like UnitedHealth Group,” Witty said.
“We guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe or unnecessary care to be delivered, in a way that makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable,” he continued. “I have never been more proud of what this company and our colleagues do on behalf of the people in this country. I urge you to tune out the negative messaging you hear on social media.”
As of publication time, the suspect in Thompson’s slaying has not been detained or identified. As of midday Saturday, the FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the shooter’s arrest and conviction, as the agency’s New York field office has agreed to assist the New York Police Department with the investigation.
Deapite that reward, one resource that won’t be working to solve the crime is the legion of online amateur detectives who typically flock to every unsolved case. “I have yet to see a single video that’s pounding the drum of ‘we have to find him,’ and that is unique,” prominent social media sleuth Michael McWhorter told NBC.
“We’re pretty apathetic towards that,” said another, influential social media detective Savannah Sparks. “It’s, you know, claim denied on my prayers there.”