The CEO of the parent company that oversees UnitedHealthcare defended the insurer as a 'critical' part of the healthcare industry amid online support for the gunman who opened fire on the insurance company's CEO.
He even claimed few people 'in the history of the US healthcare industry had a biggest effect on American healthcare than Brian.' UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty addressed staff members in a two-minute forty six-second long video 'It does not reflect reality. It is simply a sign of an era in which we live,' Witty insisted, as he urged his colleagues to 'focus on what we know to be true.But insured Americans have long complained that UnitedHealthcare refused to cover their care, as an analysis by ValuePenguin concluded it denies 32 percent of claims - double that of the industry average for large health insurance companies.
Afterward, UnitedHealthcare released a statement saying it had 'resolved the member-specific concerns raised by this group and remain open to a constructive dialogue about ensuring access to high-quality, affordable care.' 'I’m an ER nurse and the things I’ve seen dying patients get denied for by insurance makes me physically sick. I just can’t feel sympathy for him because of all of those patients and their families,' one TikTok user wrote of the father of two.
'We understand that you were actively “bleeding out,” but this does not exempt you from exploring lower-cost care pathways,' the post said.Users showed apathy towards the news in posts on social mediaEarlier this year, the Department of Justice launched a probe into whether UnitedHealthcare was unfairly restricting competitors and running a monopoly.
'The Justice Department will not hesitate to check unlawful consolidation and monopolization in the healthcare market that threatens to harm vulnerable patients, their families, and health care workers.'UnitedHealthcare was also accused of using AI to deny claims for post-acute care services in Medicare Advantage plans in a lawsuit filed earlier this month, according to Fierce Healthcare.
In a statement to Fierce Healthcare, UnitedHealth said the lawsuit 'had no merit' because they were not using NaviHealth to make decisions on coverage. He fired several shots during the ambush and even jammed his gun in the process, which he managed to clear quickly to continue firing.