Shell casings from the brazen slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” written on them, NBC News reported Thursday, citing law enforcement sources.
Those chilling words echo the title of a 2010 book, “Delay Deny Defend,” whose subtitle is “Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.”
UnitedHealthcare, a subdivision of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest private health insurance payer in the United States and has been the subject of heated controversy over its relatively high rate of denial of health-care claims.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown early Wednesday morning by a masked gunman wielding a pistol with a silencer. The shooter remains at large after fleeing on a bicycle into nearby Central Park.
Thompson, a married dad of two sons, was about to walk into the hotel on West 54th Street, near Sixth Avenue, for a UnitedHealth investor meeting when he was fatally shot.
Three spent 9mm shell casings were found at the scene, along with three live rounds, police said.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.