# 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 increased rates of denials for health insurance claims. 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. Social media reactions included users sharing contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system, as well as 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. Brian was raised on a farm in the nearby area between the towns of Jewell Junction and Stanhope. He graduated in 1993 as the class valedictorian of South Hamilton High School in Jewell Junction.
He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in accounting from the University of Iowa in 1997. He was valedictorian of his graduating class.

## 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 2017, he was appointed as CEO of the Medicare and retirement unit at UnitedHealthcare (UHC), having previously served as the division's CFO for the prior several years. In April 2021, he was named the CEO of UHC and tasked with leading the company's global growth.
Under Thompson's leadership, UHC's profits increased from $12 billion in 2021 to $16 billion in 2023. Modern Healthcare magazine rated Thompson at 23rd in their list of the 100 most influential people in the healthcare industry in 2021, and at 8th in 2022. At the time of his death, the company was the largest health insurer in the United States.
An open letter from the American Hospital Association (AHA) in 2021 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. In January 2022, UHC announced that it would not change its ER coverage policy and Thompson wrote to the AHA, stating that "our intention to align coverage definitions with the new federal guidance created confusion rather than clarifying matters." Reports of increasing rates of prior authorization denials prompted investigations by ProPublica and the United States Senate. These investigations were part of Fortune's criticism of Thompson's time of leadership at UHC.
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 sold stocks before the probe was made public. On February 16, two weeks before the probe was announced, Thompson exercised stock options with several years left until expiration and sold shares, earning him $15.1 million according to Bloomberg calculations.

## Personal life

Thompson was married to a physical therapist and fellow University of Iowa graduate. They had two sons. He and his wife separated in 2018. At the time of his death, Thompson and his family were residents of Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Thompson was arrested and convicted for driving while impaired in 2017.
As an active supporter of the Special Olympics movement, Thompson 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.
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.
Several media sources reported that social media users shared contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system, with some celebrating his killing and sharing personal stories of harm suffered as a result of claim denials. A Facebook post from UnitedHealth Group mourning Thompson's death received over 77,000 laughing face reaction emojis. 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".