UnitedHealth CEO says he understands frustration with US ‘patchwork’ system after executive’s killing
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Vitti mourned the death of executive Brian Thompson and said he understood the public’s frustrations over the “flawed” US health care system.
“No one designs a system like we have. And no one did. It’s a patchwork built up over decades,” Witty said. In a New York Times op-ed on FridayThompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s health insurance division, made his first public comments since the shooting last week.
Separately, a company spokeswoman said the suspect in Thompson’s murder was not a customer of the health insurer.
The killing ignited anger among Americans struggling to get and pay for health care and drew attention to deepening dissatisfaction with health care coverage.
Witty said he and his colleagues are “trying to make sense of this unconscionable act and the vitriol directed at our colleagues who have been threatened.”
Americans pay more for health care than residents of any other country, and data shows that insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs, pharmaceuticals and hospital services have increased over the past five years. This can lead to unexpected costs for care that people believe their health plans cover.
“Health care is both personal and highly complex, and the reasons behind coverage decisions are not well understood,” Witty said.
“We share some of the responsibility for this,” Witty said, adding that his company is willing to work with governments, health care providers and pharmaceutical companies to find ways to “provide high-quality care and reduce costs.”
Insurers say they are trying to reduce rising fees from doctors and hospitals, as well as expensive prescription drugs and medical devices.
Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, has been receiving an incredible amount of praise online lately. Wired’s David Gilbert discusses what he saw online and why some are praising Mangione.
CEO says ‘BT’ has never forgotten its humble roots
After a five-day manhunt, Luigi Mangione was charged with murder in the Dec. 9 shooting death of Thomson outside a Manhattan hotel before an industry conference.
Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that affected his daily life, according to friends and social media posts, though his specific treatment and coverage history were unclear.
“It’s hard to gauge people’s anger and frustration with insurance companies,” said David Shapiro, a former FBI agent and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
Shapiro said he didn’t see anything like a backlash against Mangione, but added, “Given the mood of the country and the ease of cheering anonymously on the Internet, it’s not that far-fetched.”
Several commentators on social media pointed to Mangione’s privileged background as a member of a prominent Baltimore family compared to Thompson’s working-class upbringing in rural Iowa, saying the killing was an example of how anti-capitalist rhetoric can incite violence. .
Wits did not name a suspect in the shooting, but he praised Thompson’s humility in both a letter to employees Wednesday and a presentation to the Times.
“His father spent more than 40 years unloading trucks on grain elevators,” Witty said. “As we know, BT worked on a farm as a child and fished in a gravel pit with his brother. He never forgot where he came from, because it was the needs of the people who lived in places like Jewell, Iowa. He is considered a pioneer in finding ways to improve care.”
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