Officials are still investigating the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel early Wednesday, in what police say was a targeted attack.
While the NYPD has not yet disclosed a possible motive for the killing, the nation's largest health insurance company has come under fire in recent months for allegedly wrongfully denying claims.
Over the summer, nearly a dozen people were arrested in a protest outside of UnitedHealthcare parent UnitedHealth Group's headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The demonstration was organized by 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 are finding it is private health insurance corporations themselves that are often the largest barrier for people to receive the care they and their doctor agree they need," People's Action Institute campaign director Aija Nemer-Aanerud told ABC News at the time.
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In response, UnitedHealth said in a statement, "The safety and security of our employees is a top priority. We have resolved the member-specific concerns raised by this group and remain open to a constructive dialogue about ensuring access to high-quality, affordable care."
According to Fierce Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare was also hit with a potential class-action lawsuit earlier this month from the families of two deceased Medicare Advantage patients who claim the company used an AI-driven algorithm naviHealth platform to deny medically necessary care.
A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told the outlet in a statement that the "lawsuit has no merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously."
"The naviHealth predict tool is not used to make coverage determinations," the spokesperson said. "The tool is used as a guide to help us inform providers, families and other caregivers about what sort of assistance and care the patient may need both in the facility and after returning home. Coverage decisions are based on CMS coverage criteria and the terms of the member’s plan."
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Following the news of Thompson's murder on Wednesday, some people took to social media criticizing UnitedHealthcare's denial rate.
Liberal journalist Ken Klippenstein posted an un-cited chart indicating UnitedHealthcare denies claims at twice the industry average, referring to the data as Thompson's "legacy."
Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband had received threats prior to his murder, and suggested the threats were over coverage.
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"There had been some threats," she told the outlet. "Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."
