December 7th, 2024

Health insurers remove executive bios, images from websites after CEO killing

Following the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, health insurers are removing executive bios and images from websites, increasing security, and addressing public frustration over claims denials.

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Health insurers remove executive bios, images from websites after CEO killing

Following the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, major health insurers have begun removing executive bios and images from their corporate websites. Thompson was shot in what appears to be a targeted attack, prompting a wave of grief among industry peers but also a disturbing celebration on social media, where some users expressed anger towards health insurers. In response to the incident, companies like UnitedHealth and Elevance have deleted their senior leadership pages, while others, including Centene and CVS, have removed executive images. The heightened security measures for executives are now extending to online presence as well. The shooting has raised concerns about the safety of healthcare executives, especially in light of Thompson's widow revealing that he had received threats related to insurance coverage issues. The incident has also sparked discussions about the high rates of claims denials associated with UnitedHealthcare, which have drawn public ire. As investigations continue, the healthcare industry is reflecting on the implications of this violence and the broader issues of public sentiment towards health insurers.

- Major health insurers are removing executive bios and images from websites after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

- The incident has led to increased security measures for healthcare executives.

- Social media reactions included both grief and disturbing celebrations, reflecting public frustration with health insurers.

- Thompson's widow revealed he had received threats related to insurance coverage.

- The shooting has reignited discussions about high claims denial rates in the health insurance industry.

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Link Icon 11 comments
By @rootusrootus - 4 months
Everyone blames the insurance company. But my pharmacy billed insurance 272 for a generic on the $4 Walmart list and it got paid in full. My doctor’s PA billed $440 for a 20 minute telemedicine call and it got paid in full. My insurance has never denied a medication or procedure ordered by my doctor. I think it’s not simply insurance companies that are the issue. For some reason people just feel more comfortable blaming them than admitting the doctors and other staff are massively overbilling.

Maybe we should try to fix that. They must be trying to hide other costs in those ridiculous bills to be. That’s not fair to me.

By @bhaney - 4 months
I figure most people capable of planning an effective assassination are also capable of using Wayback Machine, but sure.
By @tomlockwood - 4 months
>“The people in our industry are mission-driven professionals working to make coverage and care as affordable as possible and to help people navigate the complex medical system,” Michael Tuffin, the president and CEO of powerful health insurance lobby AHIP, wrote on LinkedIn on Thursday. “We condemn any suggestion that threats against our colleagues — or anyone else in our country — are ever acceptable.”

I looked at this guy's LinkedIn and he was the "SVP, External Affairs" for the UnitedHealth Group from 2015 until 2023.

By @gigatexal - 4 months
Maybe this shocking and extreme and sad murder of the CEO will get a discussion going on the state of healthcare in the US? But if anything productive comes from this it’ll make murder for your cause viable and that’s a road to chaos.
By @locallost - 4 months
Here's a tangent from outside the US, where health insurance is "great". Overall, it's true that it's not insane as in the US, but scratch below the surface and all insurances have a bottom line. A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer, it looked especially bad, but she's through chemo and it looks promising now. Recently the health insurance told her since it's actually hopeless they want to stop paying her medical leave money, they want to make her "retired" because she's not coming back to work anyway so the pension system should take over. She was a freelancer most of her life, so didn't pay that much into it, and will drop from 1500 to 700 euros of monthly income. There are things you can do, appeal, apply for state aid etc but try to do that when you are recovering from cancer, chemo, have three kids, and your health insurance is telling you to give up it's hopeless.

Now make the insurance a for-profit business trying to maximize shareholder value and you get what you get.

By @Teever - 4 months
How will this change events like G20, Copenhagen, or Davos?

Will the powerful be able to meet in an extravagant fashion like this ever again?

Will they ever be so brash as to say stuff like this[0] in public again?

What happens when the first billionaire is taken down by a $1000 drone?

They can take down whatever online presence they want but it won't be enough to hide from a motivated person or group of people.

What comes next?

[0] https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/tim-gurner-austr...

By @solardev - 4 months
The killing seems to have been cathartic for many, and the killer inscribed words onto his ammunition that directly referenced health insurance industry tactics used to prevent claim payouts.

https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-delay-deny-depos...

It's hard to feel any sympathy for these CEOs and companies. They've had it coming for a long time, and I bet people see the killer as a vigilante hero bringing justice to those normally immune to it.

By @ChrisArchitect - 4 months
By @MrHamburger - 4 months
Rich people want to be seen, they want to show their wealth, their status and their power. What is the point of having money and power when you need to hide among the plebs? It is like breathing for them. You can willingly stop breathing for a while but eventually you need to inhale. And they are going to start brandishing their wealth and their status again.
By @renewiltord - 4 months
The reactions online are awful and completely divorced from reality.