The UHC CEO was Murdered. How are Patients and Physicians Affected?
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Colleagues:
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in what appears to be a targeted attack Wednesday morning in Midtown Manhattan. A message left at the scene of the fatal shooting — “deny,” “defend” and “depose” — echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. In a world where physicians are murdered by disgruntled patients, or by anti-abortion activists as what happened to Dr. Barnett Slepian in Buffalo, now we have witnessed the murder of a health insurance executive. Just as MSSNY condemns the murder of physicians, MSSNY also condemns the murder of Brian Thompson.
Murdering insurance executives does not solve the problem of unfair insurance practices. The culture of UnitedHealthcare will not change, even though their PR department may declare otherwise. Instead, I suspect that UHC will now spend large sums on personal security for its executives, and the cost of those extra expenses will be passed on to patients and doctors in the form of higher premiums and more aggressive denial of payments. Not just UHC will respond this way. There is now a very real risk for copycat murderers of other executives. Other corporations will undoubtedly react to recent events accordingly.
One more tragedy of Mr. Thompson’s murder is that he has been denied time on earth and denied the opportunity to use that time to regret his past actions and atone for his financial sins. It may be that by visiting fatal mortal wrath upon his victim in this world, the murderer may have tempered the Divine wrath that Mr. Thompson would otherwise be facing as he now meets his Maker.
In any event, murder must be condemned. The victim’s loved ones are themselves victimized further by their loss. MSSNY condemns this murder, and we offer our condolences to his family. We condemn all murders and call upon all to curb any violent impulses.
All the best,
Jerome C. Cohen, MD
MSSNY President
