CEO of United Healthcare's parent company Recognized in Friday's New York Times op-ed “The health system is not working as it should,” he said, condemning the “vitriol” directed at the industry following the murder of CEO Brian Thompson.
Andrew Whitty, a former British pharmaceutical executive who has been CEO of UnitedHealth Group since February 2021, said Friday that Thompson was killed in midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4. responded to a flurry of social media posts celebrating the event.
Law enforcement officials claimed the killing was premeditated.
The alleged shooter, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, has been charged with murder and other felonies.
He pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Mangione, who is jailed in Pennsylvania pending extradition to New York, has written a manifesto to destroy the health care system.
He did not have insurance with UnitedHealthcare, authorities said.
“Our health care system is flawed. Let's fix it,” the op-ed said. Whitty said he understands people's frustrations, but Thompson is part of the solution.
Thompson never forgot his upbringing on his family's farm in Iowa and focused on improving the consumer experience.
“His father spent more than 40 years unloading trucks at grain elevators. The BT we know worked on farms and fished in gravel pits with his brothers as a child. He never forgot where he came from, because his first consideration when finding ways to improve care was the needs of people living in places like Jewell, Iowa. Whitty writes.
Mr Whitty said his company bears some responsibility for the lack of understanding of coverage decisions.
“We know that our health care system isn't working as well as we should, and we understand people's frustrations with it. No one would design a system like us. And No one did. It's a patchwork built over decades,” Witty wrote. “Our mission is to help it work better.”
He said it was unfair that the company's employees faced a barrage of threats even as they grieved the death of a colleague.
“Whether it's an employee answering a customer's phone call or a nurse visiting a patient's home, employees should never have to worry about their safety or the safety of their loved ones,” he wrote.
Whitty wrote that Thompson is working to make a “complex” health care system better.
“Our health care system is not perfect, but every corner of our health care system is filled with people who want to do what is best for people,” he wrote. “Brian was one of them.”
He said Thompson “urged us to build a dedicated team to help the sickest people navigate the health care system.”
“That's why he fought for preventive health and quality health outcomes, rather than just more tests and procedures. He believed that health care decisions should start with a personal plan. “We supported plans that allow consumers to see costs and coverage options upfront so they can decide what's best for them and their families,” Witty said.
with post wire
