We know the health system does not function as well as it should, but said executive Brian Thompson was one of the people trying to improve the troubled American healthcare system. The CEO of UnitedHealth Group addressed the vehement frustrations, threats, and hate directed at healthcare insurers in a Friday morning op-ed published in the New York Times.
“I understand people’s frustrations with the system,” said Andrew Witty, the chairman of UnitedHealth Group, the parent firm of United Healthcare.
Nobody would create a system similar to ours. And nobody did. Decades have gone into creating this patchwork. In his opinion piece titled “The Health Care System Is Flawed,” he stated that his goal is to assist in improving it. Let’s make it right.
Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was a supporter of that goal, according to Witty.
We shall be grieving and saddened for the rest of our lives as Brian Thompson’s family, friends, and coworkers grieve his murder. sorrow for his departed family. And sorrow for an intelligent, compassionate man who was trying to improve healthcare for everybody, Witty wrote.
The article was released a week after Thompson was shot in what police called a deliberate, ambush shooting in Midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4 when he was en route to speak at a conference.
Five days later, 26-year-old suspect Luigi Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and charged with the murder. According to his writings and social media presence, Mangione had a horrible back ailment that changed his life and has gripped over corporate America and the healthcare system.
Although UnitedHealthcare denied Mangione’s insurance, Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives for the New York Police Department, suggested that Mangione might have chosen Thompson since it is one of the biggest health insurance providers.
Mangione is battling extradition to New York and is still being held in Pennsylvania. Mangione plans to enter a not guilty plea to all counts, according to his lawyer.
According to Witty, Thompson is an Iowa native who grew up in the same farmhouse as his mother, worked on farms as a child, and had a father who had over 40 years of experience unloading trucks at grain elevators.
Because he prioritized the needs of residents in areas like Jewell, Iowa, when looking for methods to enhance treatment, Witty noted, he never lost sight of his roots.
When Thompson’s coworkers offered fresh concepts, he would ask them Would you want your own family to have this?
Witty remembered that if not, the conversation would be over.
He claimed that the organization is having a hard time understanding this unethical behavior as well as the hate speech aimed at our coworkers who have been threatened.
No worker, whether they are answering phones or nurses visiting patients in their homes, should have to worry about their own or their loved ones’ safety.
He emphasized that the company’s goal is to make healthcare better, but he also admitted that the system is complex and that insurers bear some of the blame. Witty mentioned the need to enhance the explanation of insurance coverage and the decision-making process.
He noted that despite the health system’s flaws, everyone who works there does their hardest to help the individuals they serve. That was the case with Brian.
He claimed that Thompson encouraged us to assemble specialized teams to guide the sickest patients through the healthcare system.
That’s why, instead of just introducing additional tests and procedures, he advocated for excellent health outcomes and preventive health. According to Witty, he supported plans that let customers view pricing and coverage alternatives up front so they may make the best selection for themselves and their families. He felt that personal choices should be the first step in healthcare decisions.
According to the CEO, Thompson supported concepts that would increase the affordability, transparency, and compassion of healthcare.
According to Witty, that is Brian’s legacy, which we will uphold by carrying on with our efforts to improve the health system for all.
Since Thompson’s murder sparked outrage and scrutiny over the nation’s healthcare system and corporate greed, it has had a cascading impact.
Following his passing, law enforcement officials, business executives, and workers in the health insurance sector have all reported receiving threats and abuse.
Posts on social media On Wednesday, pictures of wanted posters with pictures of the CEOs of at least two health insurance companies were shown in Manhattan. The executives are accused in the posters of refusing medical care in order to maximize corporate profits.
The words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were used on the posters, many of which have since been removed, in reference to the gunshot shell casings discovered at the crime site. Additionally, the words have been used to praise the killing on products that is sold online.
On Wednesday, Rebecca Weiner, the deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism at the New York Police Department, stated that the suspect has been praised as a hero in certain internet posts.
According to her, the killing is similar to a domestic terrorism act and might spread like wildfire.
Although the value of UnitedHealth Group’s and other large health insurers’ shares has decreased since Thompson’s murder last week, CNBC reports that they are still worth tens of billions of dollars. With a market valuation of over $480 billion and a share price of roughly $521 on Friday, UnitedHealth is by far the largest.
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