Brian Robert Thompson (July 10, 1974 – December 4, 2024) was an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, from April 2021 until his death in December 2024.

Education

Thompson was born on July 10, 1974. He attended South Hamilton High School in Jewell Junction, Iowa, graduating in 1993 as class valedictorian. Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997, where he studied business administration and accounting.

Career

From 1997 to 2004, Thompson worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a manager in the transaction advisory services group of the audit practice. Thompson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and was CEO of UnitedHealthcare government programs that included Medicare and retirement, and community and state divisions.

The Associated Press described Thompson as keeping "a low public profile". However, he had a few moments in the public spotlight, such as during an investor meeting in 2023 when he announced UnitedHealthcare was shifting to a "value-based care" model by paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick.

In 2021, Thompson was criticized in an open letter from the American Hospital Association regarding a plan from UnitedHealthcare to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. UnitedHealthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change.

A lawsuit was filed against Thompson in May 2024 for alleged fraud and insider trading due to failing to disclose an antitrust investigation into the company by the United States Department of Justice. The case had only been made public following Thompson's death.

Personal life

Thompson's father was Dennis Thompson, a grain elevator worker, and his mother was Pat (Hunter) Thompson. He had one brother, Mark. Thompson was known to friends and colleagues as B.T. Brian was married to Paulette Reveiz Thompson, a physical therapist and fellow University of Iowa graduate. She was born in Webster City, Iowa. Together they had two sons. They resided in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

Death

On December 4, 2024, at 6:45 a.m. EST, Thompson was in New York for an annual UnitedHealthcare investors meeting. As he was walking along West 54th Street toward the New York Hilton Midtown hotel which was hosting the meeting, he was shot by a gunman dressed in a black hoodie and armed with a silenced 9mm pistol. The gunman waited outside the building for several minutes, which led the NYPD to believe it was a targeted attack, and shot Thompson several times from approximately 20 feet (6 m) away, striking him in the back and right calf. Police initially said that the gunman fled the scene on an electric Citi Bike, but Lyft, Citi Bike's parent company, later said NYPD officials retracted that claim. Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. Both the New York City Police Department and Mayor Eric Adams said the attack appeared to be a targeted hit and was not a random attack. The gunman has yet to be found.

The words "deny", "defend", and "depose" were found written on shell casings at the scene.

Thompson's wife reported that he had received threats in the past, citing lack of coverage as a possible reason for the threats. In response to the killing, some public officials expressed dismay and offered condolences to the family. In contrast, many social media users shared their contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the American health insurance system.