- Source: Brian Thompson (businessman)
Brian Robert Thompson (July 10, 1974 – December 4, 2024) was an American businessman who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, from April 2021 until his killing in December 2024.
In 1997, Thompson started his career as a CPA before becoming a manager at PwC, a professional services network. He held this position until 2004, when he then moved to UnitedHealth Group, becoming the CEO of their UnitedHealthcare unit in 2021. His tenure as CEO was marked by high rates of denials for medical care. In 2021, the American Hospital Association criticized Thompson for planning to deny insurance payment for non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms.
Following his killing in 2024, public officials expressed dismay and offered condolences to Thompson's family. In contrast, several media sources reported that social media users shared their contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system, with some celebrating his killing and idolizing the shooter.
Early life and education
Thompson was born on July 10, 1974, in Ames, Iowa, one of two sons born to Dennis and Pat (née Hunter) Thompson. His father was a grain elevator worker. He was raised in the nearby area, and graduated in 1993 as the class valedictorian of South Hamilton High School in Jewell Junction, north of Ames. During this time, he was also Class President, Two-Time All-State Trombonist, senior year Homecoming King and an athlete. He attended the University of Iowa (UI) in Iowa City, where he met his future wife. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in accounting in 1997. He was also valedictorian of his UI graduating class, and UI later said that he "graduated with special honors and with highest distinction, meaning his GPA was 3.95 or above."
Career
From 1997 to 2004, Thompson worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a CPA and later manager in the transaction advisory services group of the audit practice. He joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and worked on U.S. government health insurance programs such as Medicare and retiree coverage, as well as community and state divisions which provided Medicaid and other health insurance coverage. In April 2021 he was named the CEO of UnitedHealthcare (UHC) and tasked with leading the company's global growth. His total compensation was $9.6 million in 2021, $9.8 million in 2022, and $10.2 million in 2023. Under his leadership, UHC's profits increased from $12 billion in 2021 to $16 billion in 2023. At the time of Thompson's death, the company was the largest health insurer in the United States.
In 2021, an open letter from the American Hospital Association criticized Thompson regarding a plan from UHC to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. UHC responded by delaying rollout of the change. Reports of increasing rates of prior authorization denials prompted investigations by ProPublica and the United States Senate, investigations which were described as a "stain" on Thompson's time of leadership by Fortune.
The Associated Press reported that Thompson generally kept "a low public profile" but he received attention for an announcement at an investor meeting in 2023 that UHC was shifting to a value-based health care model of payment to health-care providers, as opposed to a fee-for-service model.
In May 2024, the Hollywood, Florida, Firefighters' Pension Fund sued Thompson and two UnitedHealth Group executives (CEO Andrew Witty and executive chairman Stephen J. Hemsley), alleging fraud and insider trading. The plaintiff alleges that the defendants failed to disclose an antitrust investigation into the company by the United States Department of Justice and by selling stock options before the probe was made public. The suit states that Thompson and Hemsley sold a combined total of $120 million worth of UHC stock, four months before the DOJ probe was made public to UHC shareholders and to the general public.
Personal life
Thompson was known to friends and colleagues as "B.T." He was married to a physical therapist and fellow University of Iowa graduate. They had two sons. At the time of his death, Thompson and his family were residents of Maple Grove, Minnesota. Thompson and his wife separated in 2018 and had since been living in separate residences in Maple Grove. Their separation was not made public until his death in December 2024.
Thompson visited Ireland on several occasions as UnitedHealthcare's sister company Optum has operations in the country, and enjoyed playing golf there in Donegal. He was an active supporter of the Special Olympics movement and was honorary co-chair of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
Death
On December 4, 2024, Thompson was in New York for an annual UnitedHealthcare investors meeting. He left a Marriott hotel where he was staying, which was across the street from the New York Hilton Midtown, where his meeting was to be held. As he was walking along West 54th Street toward the Hilton at around 6:45 a.m. local time, he was shot from behind by a person dressed in a hooded jacket and wielding a pistol. Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West hospital in Manhattan, where, at 7:12 a.m., he was pronounced dead.
A suspect was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9 and indicted with first- and second-degree murder charges by a grand jury in New York.
Legacy
Following his killing, public officials, which included Minnesota governor and former Democratic vice president nominee Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey expressed dismay and offered condolences to Thompson's family. In contrast, numerous media sources reported that social media users shared their contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system, with some celebrating his killing.
Social media users shared personal stories of harm and death suffered as a result of claim denials. One physician told The Daily Beast that while they believed Thompson's killer should be brought to justice, his role as CEO had led to a great amount of suffering and loss of life, which he described as "on the order of millions", adding that "[it is] hard for me to sympathize when so many people have suffered because of his company".
See also
Healthcare in the United States
List of health insurance executives in the United States
References
External links
Brian Thompson – UnitedHealth Group at the Wayback Machine (archived 2024-08-24)