Topline
Three words—“deny,” “defend” and “depose,” which are alleged tactics insurance companies are accused of using to avoid paying claims—were reportedly found written on shell casings at the scene where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed by an unknown gunman in New York City on Wednesday.
Police place bullet casing markers outside of a Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan where United … [+]
Key Facts
Thompson was fatally shot outside of the New York Hilton Midtown where an investor meeting for UnitedHealth Group was set to take place on Wednesday, and police were still looking for the suspected gunman as of Thursday at 1 p.m. EST.
Multiple outlets reported Thursday morning that police officials said there were three words—“deny,” “defend” and “depose”—written on shell casings found at the scene, though police have not publicly confirmed it.
Police have not named a suspect or motive in the shooting, but Thompson’s wife said he had received threats and police called the shooting “a brazen targeted attack.”
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What Do ‘deny,’ ‘defend’ And ‘depose’ Mean?
The three words echo a common phrase—“delay, deny, defend”—describing allegations leveled at insurers who avoid paying claims, the Associated Press reported Thursday. The phrase, adopted by critics of the healthcare industry, refers to the ways insurance companies “delay paying claims, deny valid claims in whole or part, and defend their actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation,” according to “Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” a book on the topic published in 2010. The book claims to be “an expose of insurance injustice and a plan for consumers and lawmakers to fight back.” It was written by Jay Feinman, an expert in insurance law and professor emeritus at Rutgers University who set out to show companies denying valid claims was “the result of an increasing and systematic focus on maximizing profits by major companies such as Allstate and State Farm.” Though police haven’t publicly said the motive for Thompson’s killing was related to his work, UnitedHealth Group—which oversees UnitedHealthcare—is one of the nation’s largest healthcare insurers, was ranked 19th on Forbes’ list of the world’s biggest companies this year and has a market capitalization of more than $560 billion. The New York Times reported last year that UnitedHealthcare had plans with denial rates ranging from 7% to 27% in 2019, and the AP reported UnitedHealthcare, along with other for-profit insurers, “have become frequent targets of criticism” for denying claims and making it harder to get care.
Contra
The New York Times reported officials found the words “delay” and “deny” on the bullet casings rather than “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” which would more directly reference the phrase commonly used to criticize the health insurance industry.
Big Number
55%. That’s the percentage of American adults who are able to access and afford quality healthcare when they need it, according to the West Health and Gallup healthcare affordability index released earlier this year. That number is the lowest it’s been since the groups began tracking healthcare affordability in 2021, and was down six percentage points from 2022.
Key Background
Thompson, 50, took over as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance division of UnitedHealth Group, in 2021 after being with the company since 2004. He was shot Wednesday morning just before 7 a.m. on his way to the UnitedHealth Group investor meeting in New York, and police officials said the suspected gunman was “lying in wait for several minutes” before firing at Thompson. He was shot in the calf and back and was pronounced dead after being rushed to Mount Sinai West in critical condition.
Tangent
The suspect was still at large Thursday afternoon. The NYPD has offered a $10,000 reward for anyone with information about the killing, and police released the first photos they believe show the suspect’s face. A senior law enforcement official told The New York Times they still did not know the suspect’s name, but were looking at several leads.