The murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO comes amid controversy over insurance coverage

Officials are still investigating the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson early Wednesday outside a New York City hotel, which police said was a targeted attack.

While the NYPD has not yet revealed a possible motive for the killing, the country’s largest health insurer has come under fire in recent months for allegedly unfairly denying claims.

This 2017 file photo of Brian Thompson was published via Businesswire when he was named chief executive officer of the UnitedHealthcare unit in 2017. Thompson was killed Wednesday in an apparent targeted attack. He leaves behind a wife and two children (Businesswire/Fox News)

Over the summer, nearly a dozen people were arrested at a protest outside the headquarters of UnitedHealthcare parent company UnitedHealth Group in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The demonstration was organized by the People’s Action Institute, which accused the company of refusing to pay for patients’ necessary health treatments.

“Health insurance coverage has expanded in America, but we find that it is often the private health insurance companies themselves that are the biggest barrier to people getting the care they and their doctor need,” says Aija Nemer-Aanerud, campaign director for the People’s Action Institute told ABC News at the time.

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In response, UnitedHealth said in a statement: “The safety of our employees is our top priority. We have addressed the member-specific concerns raised by this group and remain open to constructive dialogue about ensuring access to high-quality, affordable care.”

UnitedHealthcare signage is displayed outside a store in the borough of Queens in New York, USA, on Monday, January 14, 2013. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

According to Fierce Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare was also hit earlier this month by a possible class action lawsuit from the families of two deceased Medicare Advantage patients who claim the company used an AI-driven algorithm from the NaviHealth platform to deny medically necessary treatments.

A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told the outlet in a statement that “the lawsuit has no merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously.”

“The naviHealth prediction tool is not used to determine coverage,” the spokesperson said. “The tool is used as a guide to help us inform providers, families and other caregivers about what type of support and care the patient may need both in the facility and upon returning home. Coverage decisions are based on CMS coverage criteria and the terms of the member’s plan.”

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Following news of Thompson’s murder on Wednesday, some people on social media criticized UnitedHealthcare’s denial rate.

Liberal journalist Ken Klippenstein published an unquoted chart showing UnitedHealthcare denying claims at twice the industry average, calling the data Thompson’s “legacy.”

Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband received threats before his killing and suggested that the threats were exaggerated.

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“There had been some threats,” she told the outlet. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of reporting? I don’t know any details. All I know is that he said there were some people who threatened him.”