Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare shot and killed by a masked gunman in Manhattan Wednesday morning outside a Hilton Hotel, had been at the helm of the insurance giant since April 2021, according to the company’s website.
Thompson, 50, was on his way to hosting an investors conference at the hotel when a masked gunman in a hoodie snuck up behind him and shot him in the back in what NYPD officials said was a targeted attack. The suspect remains at large.
The rise of a CEO
Long before his rise to the top of UnitedHealthcare, the Minnesota-based medical insurance giant with current assets valued at $284 billion, Thompson began at the company in 2004, working on mergers and acquisitions.
He went on to become chief financial officer for UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual, Community & State and Medicare & Retirement, then chief executive officer of the Medicare & Retirement division.
Just before becoming CEO, Thompson was chief executive officer of the company’s government programs. That division included Medicare and state programs designed to provide care to the uninsured.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealth. (Business Wire via AP)
Legal challenges as CEO
Thompson’s stint as head of UnitedHealthcare has not been without controversy, however.
Last month, the Justice Department, along with the attorneys general of Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to prevent the insurance company’s acquisition of Louisiana-based home health and hospice services company Amedisys Inc.
The proposed takeover, with an offer of $3.3 billion, would have destroyed competition between the two companies, according to the Justice Department.
“We are challenging this merger because home health and hospice patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to check unlawful consolidation and monopolization in the healthcare market that threatens to harm vulnerable patients, their families, and health care workers.”
Last year, a class action lawsuit was filed against UnitedHealthcare in United States District Court alleging “illegal deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in place of real medical professionals to wrongfully deny elderly patients care,” according to the complaint.
The suit claims the technology was used as an overriding second opinion, and has a 90% error rate.
Before and Beyond UnitedHealthcare
Thompson, 50, lived with his family in Minnesota, close to UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Thompson graduated as valedictorian from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and Accounting, and worked at accounting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers from 1997-2004.
When reached by phone, his mother-in-law, Paulette Reveiz, told the Daily News his family was stunned.
“The only thing I can say is he’s a good man. I can’t say anything else,” said Reveiz. “We’re still in shock.”
Thompson’s brother declined to comment.
UnitedHealth Group issued a statement about Thompson’s murder Wednesday morning.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”