UnitedHealth CEO says he understands frustration with US ‘patchwork’ system after exec killed.

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty mourned the death of CEO Brian Thompson and said he understands the public’s frustration with America’s “flawed” health care system.

“No one could design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It’s a patchwork that’s been built up over decades,” Witty said in a New York Times piece on Friday, his first public comment since Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth. insurance unit, was shot and killed last week.

Separately, a company spokesperson said the suspect in Thompson’s murder was not a health insurance customer.

The killings have sparked outrage among Americans struggling to access and pay for health care and have drawn new attention to the depth of anger about health care.

Witty said he and his colleagues are “struggling to come to terms with this act of misconduct and a terrible act against our colleagues who have been threatened.”

Americans pay more for health care than citizens of any other country, and data show spending on insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs, medications and hospital services have all increased over the past five years. It can lead to unexpected costs for care that people think is covered by their health plan.

“Health care is highly individualized and complex, and the reasons behind care decisions are poorly understood,” Witty said.

“We share some of the responsibility for that,” Witty said, adding that his company is willing to work with governments, health care providers and pharmaceutical companies to find ways to “provide high-quality and low-cost care.”

Insurers say they are working to negotiate increased costs from doctors and hospitals, as well as expensive prescription drugs and medical equipment.

‘BT’ has never forgotten its humble roots, says the CEO

After a five-day manhunt, Luigi Mangione was charged with murder on December 9 for killing Thompson in a deadly shooting outside a Manhattan hotel before an industry conference.

Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that affected his daily life, according to friends and social media posts, though his specific medical history and coverage were unclear.

“It’s hard to underestimate the anger and frustration that people have with their insurance companies,” said David Shapiro, a former FBI agent and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Shapiro said he’s never seen Mangione’s reaction, but added, “It’s not very accessible given the state of the world and enjoying this anonymously on the Internet.”

Several commentators on social media pointed to Mangione’s rich background as a member of a prominent Baltimore, Md., family, compared to Thompson’s upbringing in rural Iowa, and said the killings were an example of how anti-capitalist rhetoric can fuel violence. .

Witty did not mention the suspect in the shooting, but he honored Thompson’s humility, in a letter he wrote to employees Wednesday, and in his words to the Times.

“His father spent more than 40 years unloading trucks from grain bins,” Witty wrote. “BT as we knew him was working on a farm fishing with his brother in a stone pit, he did not forget where he came from because it is the needs of the people who live in places like Jewell, Iowa, that is considered first in finding ways to improve care.”