Brian Thompson worked for over 20 years at UnitedHealthcare, one of the biggest health insurance companies in the country and a key part of UnitedHealth Group. His rise within the company showed no signs of slowing down. Since 2021, he had been the CEO of the insurance division, guiding it through a time of significant profits. The division generated $281 billion in revenue last year, offering health coverage to millions of Americans through plans sold to individuals, employers, and participants in government programs such as Medicare. The division had about 140,000 employees. Mr. Thompson’s death on Wednesday outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan, as he walked to the UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor day, shocked the entire health care industry across the country. The deadly shooting prompted an influx of sympathy from competing insurers, executives, health care providers, and others. While Mr. Thompson served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the company’s profits increased, with operational earnings reaching over $16 billion in 2023, up from $12 billion in 2021. Mr. Thompson received a total compensation package of $10.2 million last year, which included $1 million in base salary along with cash and stock grants. He played a crucial role in the significant growth of one of the company’s essential sectors, the sale of private insurance plans under Medicare Advantage, a federally funded program primarily for those aged 65 and older, which now covers around half of the 61 million enrollees. “He definitely played a major role in the expansion of Medicare Advantage,” remarked Matt Burns, a former United executive who worked closely with Mr. Thompson, who was known to colleagues as BT. If you are currently in Reader mode, please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe to access all of The Times. We appreciate your patience as we verify your access. Are you already a subscriber? Sign in… Interested in accessing all of The Times? Subscribe.
