Praise for the killer of the healthcare executive whose parent company, UnitedHealthcare Group, is the industry's largest in the U.S. by revenue coupled with widespread complaints about medical insurance coverage has some in the healthcare industry worried about their safety.
Leaders of smaller insurers whose safety wasn't a concern before the brazen murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 outside a midtown Manhattan hotel now have 24-7 security details, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Executives at many insurers refused to allow their names to be used by the Journal, saying they didn't want to draw more attention in a volatile time.
"Most people who work in health plans believe they are supporting action for patients, but it's clearer than ever that the American public doesn't necessarily see it that way," said Sachin H. Jain, the CEO of SCAN Group, a nonprofit insurer. "There's a broader reckoning."
Clues left by Thompson's suspected killer, Luigi Mangione — including a two-page manifesto with the words "these parasites had it coming" — echo sentiments by some who believe they have been cheated by insurance companies.
One social media screenshot seen by health insurance executives showed a poster that read, "Wanted, Dead or Alive," with the last word crossed out, and a list of names and pictures of top industry executives, the Journal reported.
Vicky Gregg, former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, said she got repeated death threats when she was on the job years ago, and the company had to seek restraining orders on some people.
Some insurance leaders "can't see that their companies are in that level of disgruntlement with their members," said Gregg, adding "I don't think shooting someone in the street is a way to approach any of those kinds of problems."
A 2023 survey of insured consumers by KFF found that 81% rated their insurance positively, but 58% had experienced a problem with it in the past year, the Journal reported. Less-healthy people had more complaints.
"I'm shocked that people aren't saying the obvious, like 'I'm mad, and this doesn't work, but this was a 50-year-old guy with a wife and kids, and this was unacceptable,'" Alan Muney, a former health insurance executive who worked at insurers including Cigna.
Insurers have responded by removing names and photos of executives from public websites and bolstering security at work locations. After Thompson's death, Centene, a Medicaid-focused insurer that was scheduled to hold its investor day in New York this week, according to the Journal, instead made it a virtual event.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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