UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty Mourns Executive Killing

(Reuters) – UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty expressed sorrow over the death of executive Brian Thompson and acknowledged public discontent with the U.S. healthcare system.

"No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It's a patchwork built over decades," Witty stated in a New York Times opinion piece on Friday. This marked his first public comments since Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's health insurance unit, was shot and killed last week.

The murder has sparked anger among Americans facing difficulties in accessing and affording medical care, amplifying feelings of resentment towards health coverage.

Witty mentioned that he and his team are "struggling to make sense of this unconscionable act and the vitriol that has been directed at our colleagues who have been barraged by threats."

Recent data revealed that patients are now less likely to have their claims approved, pay increased premiums and medical fees, and encounter unforeseen costs for care that they believed would be covered.

"Healthcare is both intensely personal and very complicated, and the reasons behind coverage decisions are not well understood," Witty noted.

He acknowledged shared responsibility, stating that together with employers, governments, and others who fund care, there needs to be an improvement in how insurance coverage and decision-making processes are explained.

Insurers strive to negotiate reduced fees from medical providers and prevent rising costs of prescription medications and medical equipment.

Following a five-day manhunt, Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League-educated individual, was charged with murder on Dec. 9 for Thompson's killing, which occurred outside a Manhattan hotel during an industry conference.

The New York Times reported that a police document found on Mangione concluded he regarded the shooting as a justified response to perceived corruption within the healthcare sector.