The new CEO of UnitedHealth Group said the insurance company will keep denying "unnecessary" treatment in a video leaked to a left-wing journalist.
The comments from Andrew Witty came after the shocking execution of former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in an apparent act of terrorism targeting the health care industry.
Some have embraced the suspected killer as a martyr against corporate greed, as the shooting fuels violent fury over denied insurance claims and the steep cost of treatment.
But UnitedHealthGroup, the parent company of UnitedHealthCare, has no plans to change its business model in response to public outrage. In a message to employees that was leaked to journalist Ken Klippenstein, CEO Andrew Witty said the company will continue to "guard against" what he called "unnecessary" and unsafe care.
“Our role is a critical role, and we make sure that care is safe, appropriate, and is delivered when people need it,” Witty said.
"We guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe care or for unnecessary care to be delivered in a way which makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable,” he added.
The CEO also warned against interacting with the media as he blasted "aggressive, inappropriate and disrespectful” coverage of Thompson's murder.
“I’d like to give you a little bit of advice around the media,” Witty continued. “My strong advice and request to everybody is just don’t engage with the media. If you’re approached, I would recommend not responding and, if necessary, simply refer them to our own media organization.”
The man charged with assassinating Thompson, Luigi Mangione, was arrested Monday after he was recognized at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania.
While much remains unclear about the suspected killer, police recovered a handwritten manifesto in which Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League Graduate from a prominent Baltimore family, expressed anger with the healthcare system.
"I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming," he wrote in the alleged note.
Thompson was brazenly gunned down in broad daylight outside of a hotel in midtown Manhattan on December 4. Shell casings were found with the words "deny," "defend," and "depose," sparking early speculation that the shooter was motivated by revenge against health insurance companies.
The shooting led some to celebrate the killer as other health insurance companies scrubbed information from their websites.
