Brian Thompson (businessman) explained

Brian Thompson
Birth Name:Brian Robert Thompson
Birth Date:10 July 1974
Death Place:New York City, U.S.
Death Cause:Gunshot wound
Alma Mater:University of Iowa (BBA)
Occupation:Businessman (CEO)
Chief executive officer (CEO) of UnitedHealthcare
Term:2021–2024
Spouse:Paulette Reveiz Thompson
Children:2

Brian Robert Thompson[1] [2] (July 10, 1974 – December 4, 2024) was an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group from April 2021 until his death in December 2024.

Education

Thompson was born on July 10, 1974.[3] He attended South Hamilton High School in Jewell Junction, Iowa, graduating in 1993 as class valedictorian.[4] Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997, where he studied business administration and accounting.[5]

Career

From 1997 to 2004, Thompson worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a manager in the transaction advisory services group of the audit practice.[6] Thompson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and was CEO of UnitedHealthcare government programs that included Medicare & retirement and community & state divisions.[7]

The Associated Press described Thompson as keeping "a low public profile". However, he had a few moments in the public spotlight, such as during an investor meeting in 2023 when he announced UnitedHealthcare was shifting to a "value-based care" model by paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick.

In 2021, Thompson was criticized in an open letter from the American Hospital Association regarding a plan from UnitedHealthcare to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. UnitedHealthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change.[8]

A lawsuit was filed against Thompson in May 2024 for alleged fraud and insider trading due to failing to disclose an antitrust investigation into the company by the United States Department of Justice.[9]

Personal life

Thompson's father was Dennis Thompson, a grain elevator worker, and his mother was Pat (Hunter) Thompson. He had one brother, Mark.[3] Thompson was known to friends and colleagues as B.T.[10] Brian was married to Paulette Reveiz Thompson, a physical therapist and fellow University of Iowa graduate.[11] She was born in Webster City, Iowa.[12] [13] Together they had two sons.[14] [15] They resided in Maple Grove, Minnesota.[16]

Death

On December 4, 2024, at 6:45 a.m. EST, Thompson was in New York for an annual UnitedHealthcare investors meeting. As he was walking along West 54th Street toward the New York Hilton Midtown hotel which was hosting the meeting, he was shot by a gunman dressed in a black hoodie and armed with a silenced 9mm pistol.[17] [18] The gunman waited outside the building for several minutes – which the NYPD attributed to a targeted attack – before shooting Thompson several times from approximately 20feet away, striking him in the back and right calf.[19] Police initially said that the gunman fled the scene on an electric Citi Bike, but Lyft, Citi Bike's parent company, later said NYPD officials retracted that claim.[20] Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. Both the New York City Police Department and Mayor Eric Adams said the attack appeared to be a targeted hit and was not a random attack. The gunman has yet to be found.[21] [17]

Thompson's wife reported that he had received threats in the past, citing lack of coverage as a possible reason for the threats.[22] The response from politicians following the killing included sympathetic messages; however, many social media users shared their contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system.[23] [24] [25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: July 17, 2024 . Q2 2024 Unitedhealth Group Inc Earnings Call . . Thomson Reuters StreetEvents.
  2. News: UnitedHealth Executive Fatally Shot in NYC, Sparking Manhunt . December 4, 2024 . . John . Tozzi . Myles . Miller . December 4, 2024.
  3. Web site: Gabriel . Trip . Brian Thompson, Health Insurance Executive, Dies at 50 . December 4, 2024. limited . The New York Times . December 4, 2024.
  4. Web site: December 4, 2024 . University of Iowa alum and UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Manhattan . December 4, 2024 . . en.
  6. Web site: Our leadership . https://web.archive.org/web/20241204150029/https://www.uhc.com/about-us/leadership . December 4, 2024 . December 4, 2024 . . en.
  7. Web site: Brian Thompson . https://web.archive.org/web/20241204150444/https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/uhg/our-leaders/brian-thompson.html . December 4, 2024 . December 4, 2024 . . en.
  8. News: Geller . Adam . Murphy . Tom . UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York . December 4, 2024 . AP News . . December 4, 2024 . en.
  9. News: Towfighi . John . Goldman . David . Who was Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare fatally shot in Manhattan? . December 4, 2024 . . December 4, 2024 . en.
  10. News: Wilde Mathews . Anne . Bauerlein . Valerie . December 4, 2024 . Slain Health-Insurance Executive Brought Small Town Geniality to Big Job . Wall Street Journal.
  11. News: Snowbeck . Christopher . UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson killed in 'brazen, targeted attack' in NYC; manhunt underway . December 4, 2024 . . December 4, 2024 . en.
  12. News: Gooding . Dan . What to know about Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare CEO Killed in NYC . December 4, 2024 . . December 4, 2024 . en.
  13. News: Obituaries in Des Moines, IA . December 4, 2024 . . December 22, 2021 . en.
  14. News: Thiede . Dana . Who was Brian Thompson? UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in New York City . December 4, 2024 . . December 4, 2024.
  15. News: Walrath-Holdridge . Mary . Cann . Christopher . December 4, 2024 . Who was Brian Thompson? CEO of UnitedHealthcare fatally shot in Manhattan . December 4, 2024 . USA Today.
  16. News: Sager . Monica . Minnesota leaders react to UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting death . December 4, 2024 . . December 4, 2024 . en.
  17. Web site: Yan . Lauren . Mascarenhas . Maureen . Chowdhury . Holly . December 4, 2024 . UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in New York City . December 4, 2024 . CNN . en.
  18. Web site: Sangal . Lauren . Mascarenha . Maureen . Chowdhury . Holly . Yan . Elise . Hammond . Aditi . December 4, 2024 . UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in New York City . December 4, 2024 . CNN . en.
  19. Web site: Breen . Kerry . 2024-12-04 . Gunman who killed Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare CEO, is on the loose. What we know about the suspect. . 2024-12-05 . . en-US.
  20. Web site: Offenhartz . Jake . Matthews . Karen . Sisak . Michael . December 4, 2024 . Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street . December 5, 2024 . AP News . en.
  22. News: Burke . Minyvonne . Li . David K. . Fonrouge . Gabrielle . December 4, 2024 . UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot outside NYC hotel in 'premeditated, preplanned targeted attack' . December 4, 2024 . . en.
  23. News: Bitter Americans React to UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Murder: ‘My Empathy Is Out of Network’. Novak. Matt. December 4, 2024. Gizmodo. December 5, 2024.
  24. News: Grim memes highlight bleak state of insurance in wake of UnitedHealth CEO shooting. Thalen. Mikael. December 4, 2024. Daily Dot. December 5, 2024.
  25. Web site: Klee . Miles . 2024-12-04 . Social Media Has Little Sympathy for Murdered Health Insurance Exec . 2024-12-05 . Rolling Stone . en-US.

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