United Healthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Even though Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S., he was largely unknown to the millions of people affected by his decision-making.

Wednesday's fatal shooting of the United Healthcare CEO on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk — which police call a targeted killing — thrust the executive and his business into the spotlight.

Thompson, who was 50, had run the insurance arm of health care giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. since 2021 and had worked at the company for 20 years.

As CEO, Thompson led a business that provides health coverage for more than 49 million Americans. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs.

The portfolio Thompson managed generated $74 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter, making it the largest subsidiary of Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual compensation package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives.

The University of Iowa graduate who began his career as a certified public accountant had little name recognition beyond the industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the public face of the parent company belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress.