The top leader of insurance giant UnitedHealth is speaking out publicly for the first time since the murder of underling Brian Thompson. In a guest essay at the New York Times, Andrew Witty—CEO of UnitedHealth Group, parent company of UnitedHealthcare—condemned the killing while also acknowledging that the insurance system is flawed and sometimes maddening. Details and related coverage:
- "We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people's frustrations with it," writes Witty. "No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It's a patchwork built over decades." But he said UnitedHealth was trying to improve things.
- One area he zeroed in on is transparency on when claims are denied. "Health care is both intensely personal and very complicated, and the reasons behind coverage decisions are not well understood," he writes. "We share some of the responsibility for that. Together with employers, governments and others who pay for care, we need to improve how we explain what insurance covers and how decisions are made."
- Witty praised Thompson as someone trying to improve the system, and while he thanked those who have shown support, he added that the company is "struggling to make sense of ... the vitriol that has been directed at our colleagues who have been barraged by threats. No employees—be they the people who answer customer calls or nurses who visit patients in their homes—should have to fear for their and their loved ones' safety."
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