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American businessman (1974–2024) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian Robert Thompson[1][2] (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.
Brian Thompson | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Brian Robert Thompson July 10, 1974 Ames, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | December 4, 2024 (aged 50) New York City, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Education | University of Iowa (BBA) |
| Title | CEO of UnitedHealthcare |
| Term | 2021–2024 |
| Spouse | Paulette Reveiz |
| Children | 2 |
Thompson was born on July 10, 1974, in Ames, Iowa, one of two sons born to Dennis and Pat (née Hunter) Thompson.[3][4][5] His father was a grain elevator worker.[3] 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.[4][6][7][8] He then 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.[7][9][10][11][12] He was also valedictorian of his UI graduating class; UI spokesman Steve Schmadeke stated Thompson "graduated with special honors and with highest distinction, meaning his GPA was 3.95 or above."[13]
From 1997 to 2004, Thompson worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a 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.[14] His total compensation was $9.6 million in 2021, $9.8 million in 2022, and $10.2 million in 2023.[15] Under his leadership, UHC's profits increased from $12 billion in 2021 to $16 billion in 2023.[16] At the time of Thompson's death, the company was the largest health insurer in the United States.[17]
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.[18]
In 2021, Thompson was criticized in an open letter from the American Hospital Association 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.[18] Additionally, under his leadership, UHC began using artificial intelligence to automate claim denials, resulting in their customers either incurring significant out-of-pocket medical bills or being unable to receive needed medical treatment.[19] 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.[16]
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.[6][20][21][22][23]
Thompson was known to friends and colleagues as "B.T."[3] He was married to Paulette (née Reveiz) Thompson, a physical therapist and fellow University of Iowa graduate.[24] They had two sons.[25][26] At the time of his death, Thompson and his family were residents of Maple Grove, Minnesota.[27] He and his wife had been living in separate residences in Maple Grove.[28]
Thompson visited Ireland on several occasions as UnitedHealthcare's sister company Optum has operations in the country, and enjoyed playing golf there in Donegal.[29] He was an active supporter of the Special Olympics movement and was honorary co-chair of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.[30]
On December 4, 2024, Thompson was in New York for an annual UnitedHealthcare investors meeting.[31] 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 am local time, he was shot from behind by a person dressed in a hooded jacket and wielding a pistol.[32] Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West hospital in Manhattan, where, at 7:12 am, he was pronounced dead.[33]
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.[34][35] In contrast, numerous media sources reported that many social media users shared their contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system, with many celebrating his killing.[36][37][38][39][40]
A suspect was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9 and charged with murder by authorities in New York.[41]
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