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The to die of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson he took hundredsanother great health insurance, for a change virtual investor day Instead of a face-to-face event in New York.
Thompson’s killing has also prompted several major healthcare companies, including UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, to remove the photos. executives and board members from their websites.
And health insurance the doctorLike UnitedHealthcare, which is headquartered in Minnesota, it closed its main campus in Minnetonka due to employee safety concerns.
“The safety of Medica employees is our top priority and we have increased the safety of all our employees,” a Medica spokesperson told NBC News.
“While we have not received any specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution,” the spokesperson said.
Centene, which announced the switch to a virtual event on Friday, is one of Medicaid’s largest insurers and was expected to have an investor day. New York Stock Exchange next thursday
Centene said in a statement, “Following the tragic loss of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Centene’s Investor Day will be held virtually.”
Thompson was killed Wednesday morning by an unidentified gunman outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan as he was entering the hotel for an investor day at UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare. The event was abruptly canceled after the UHG management learned of the murder.
Police believe Thompson was specifically targeted by the gunman, who left shell casings emblazoned with the words “deny,” “delay,” and “depose.” The words probably refer to terms used by critics of insurance companies to identify their strategy of denying customer claims.
A sign is attached to a street lamp outside the Hilton Hotel, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA on December 5, 2024.
Mike Fresh | Reuters
“All of us at Centen are saddened by Brian Thompson’s passing and want to extend our support to all those affected. Health insurance is a big industry and a small community; many members of the CenTeam crossed paths with Brian throughout their careers.” Centen CEO Sarah London said in a statement.
“He was a person with empathy and a clear passion for improving access to care. Our hearts go out to his family and his colleagues at this difficult time.”
Centene’s website did not have a photo of its executives on its website Friday.
UnitedHealth took down its website that linked photos and information about its top executives.
This web page the humanThe board of directors no longer displays photos or information about these individuals.
CVS Health it also removed photos of its top executives from its website.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which is a group of independent health insurers, withdrew link to his executive biographies on his website, Healthcaredive.com notify
Chris Pierson, CEO Black MantleThe company, which provides private digital security for C-suite executives and their families, told CNBC that reporting events attended by public company executives and photos of their leadership and board members on company websites makes them targets of harassment and threats. .
Ben Joelson, chief security risk and head of the Chertoff Group, said in an interview that insurers and other companies removing images of their executives and board members is a “prudent step.”
“What they’re trying to do is basically reduce the surface area of cyber risk and what’s out there in terms of the digital dust that’s available around their executives,” Joelson said. “I think as we learn more about this particular motive, and obviously that was clearly … there are some clues that it was targeted by the position of the executive, companies will react and adjust their protection profiles accordingly.”
He also said his company is “helping a number of Fortune 500 clients right now to reevaluate their approach to investor meetings, shareholder meetings, and make sure they have that protective bubble around key decision makers.”
“When you predict an event in a location and identify that it’s going to be there, you increase the risk of that event, and you have to plan accordingly,” Joelson said.
Joelson said the Chertoff Group has seen companies increase inquiries about security since the two assassination attempts on President-elect Donald Trump.
“There are certain clients and boards that ask, ‘Are we doing what’s best for our executives?’ Joelson said. “‘Are we doing what a normal, reasonably prudent business should do?’ “
Doug Mandell, a partner at the law firm Withersworldwide, which negotiates contracts for executives that include security provisions, said in an interview that most executives view personal security as intrusive.
But Mandell expects to see more customers asking for extra protection for their boards after Thompson’s death.
“The CEO was going to a meeting for his shareholders … and they’ve had threats before,” Mandell said.
“Certainly it should be security. And I think a lot of other CEOs will say to their companies, ‘OK, I’m going to go into a situation where I really need protection.'”
“In the past, it was much more common if they traveled abroad. Now, they will think about it locally,” said Mandell.
