NEW YORK (AP) — Even though Brian Thompson led one of the nation's largest health insurance companies, he was largely unknown to the millions of people affected by his decisions. .
The shooting death of the CEO of United Healthcare on Wednesday on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk in what police are calling a targeted killing has put the executive and his business in the spotlight.
Mr. Thompson, 50, has been running the insurance division of healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group since 2021, having worked for the company for 20 years.
On December 4, 2024, in New York City, United States, a still image from a security camera shows the gunman suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on the day of a New York City Police Department press conference. It will be done. Photo: Mike Seeger/Reuters
WATCH: UnitedHealthcare CEO shot dead in 'brazen targeted attack,' New York City police say
As CEO, Mr. Thompson led a business that provided health insurance to more than 49 million Americans. United Airlines is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run version of the U.S. government's Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and manages health insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.
The portfolio Thompson managed generated $74 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter, making it the largest subsidiary of Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group. His annual compensation package of $10.2 million, including salary, bonuses and stock options, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives.
A University of Iowa graduate who began his career as a certified public accountant, he was little known outside the industry. Even for investors who own shares in the company, the parent company's public face belonged to CEO Andrew Whitty, a knighted British triathlete who testified before Parliament.
