UnitedHealth Group CEO argues for health care reform in op-ed
Boston Globe Editorial Board member Karine Hajar responds to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., seeming to rationalize the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by “Varney & Co.” to whom
Andrew Whitty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, has written an op-ed calling for health care reform after the CEO of his partner, UnitedHealthcare. Brian Thompsonwas killed last week in a targeted attack on his way to the company’s annual investor day in New York.
Whitty’s guest essay was published on Friday The New York Timesand he wrote that while he and his colleagues appreciate the “outpouring of support” for Brian, who led UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division, they also “struggle to make sense of this unconscionable act and vitriol against our colleagues. were subjected to threats.”
“No employee, whether they answer customer calls or nurses who visit patients in their homes, should have to fear for their safety or the safety of their loved ones,” Whitty wrote, adding that the company wants to help improve the situation. healthcare system.
“We know the health care system isn’t working as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustration with it. Nobody designed a system like we have. It’s a patchwork over the decades,” Whitty explained. “We’re ready to work with anyone, as we always have been — with health care providers, employers, patients, pharmaceutical companies, governments and others — to find ways to deliver high-quality care at low costs.”
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Whitty said the company wants to continue its efforts to improve health care in memory of slain executive Brian Thompson. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Whitty said the “reasons behind coverage decisions are not well understood” and that health and insurance companies like the one he runs share some of the blame. Employers, governments and others who pay for health care, he said. “need to improve how we explain what insurance covers and how decisions are made.”
| Ladies | Safety | Last: | Change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNH: | UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC. | 610.20: | +1.82 |
+0.30% |
“Behind every decision is a comprehensive and continually updated body of clinical evidence focused on achieving the best health outcomes and ensuring patient safety,” Whitty wrote will do their best for those they serve.”
“CHANGING” POSTERS FOR HEALTHCARE LEADERS IN NEW YORK
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance business of UnitedHealth Group. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/Getty Images)
It CEO of UnitedHealth Group Noted that Thompson championed ways to improve the health care system, such as the company’s creation of “dedicated teams to help the sickest people navigate the health care system.” He also said that Thompson “led programs where consumers could see costs and coverage options upfront. , so they can decide what’s best for them and their families.”
“The ideas he championed were aimed at making health care more accessible, more transparent, more intuitive, more compassionate, and more human,” Whitty wrote to work better.”
BRIAN THOMPSON’S NEIGHBOR, CEO, Speaks of Fear of Violence After Shooting;
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thomson was shot and killed in New York on December 4. (FOX 5 New York/WNYW | UnitedHealth / Fox News)
Witty’s op-ed comes after Thompson’s was killed in a shootout en route to the company’s investor day in Manhattan on Dec. 4.
The suspect in the murder. Luigi Mangionewas arrested after a manhunt in Pennsylvania and expressed his hostility to the health care industry in writings found when he was arrested.
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The New York Police Department and UnitedHealthcare confirmed Thursday that Mangione is not a client of the insurance company.The NYPD said he may have targeted the company because of its size and influence in the industry.
The company’s shares are down 4% this week after falling nearly 10% the week of the shooting.
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