Healthcare companies are reassessing the risks to their top executives after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was in Manhattan Wednesday, prompting both the company and rival CVS Health to remove photos of healthcare teams. leadership of their websites after the crime.
UnitedHealthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest insurer in the United States. CVS operates Aetna, another major health plan.
Thompson was killed in an attack that police said was targeted to execute him. He was about to enter the Hilton hotel for the company’s annual investor conference. The killer, whose crime was recorded on video, has not yet been arrested. The New York Police Department says the motive for the crime is unknown.
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Robert D’Amico, founder of Sierra One Consulting who previously worked for the FBI, said the removal of the photos shows “that these companies are listening to what experts like me have been saying about how easy it is to identify and find their executives.”
UnitedHealth removed the photo of Thompson and other executives from its website on Wednesday. A company spokesperson did not respond to a question about the motive for the murder. CVS on Thursday removed all photos of its top executives. The company declined to comment on the case.
D’Amico and another security expert, who say they are constantly assessing the risk to executives based on news and company conduct, expect companies to step up efforts to improve security.
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Thompson’s wife, Paulette, told NBC News on Wednesday that he had been receiving threats because of his work, but said he did not know any details. A spokesperson for UnitedHealthcare did not immediately comment on a possible threat to the executive.
“I think a lot of executives are going to say, ‘You know, this could happen to me and we should really consider our security protocol going forward,’” said Glen Kucera, president of Enhanced Protective Services at security firm Allied Universal.
D’Amico said he expects corporate steering committees to reevaluate the safety of their executives. This includes analyzing the size of a security team, also paying attention to the cost of this. Someone like billionaire Elon Musk has 20 people around him every day, the expert said.
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He recalled angry posts on social media when people apparently verbally attacked health plans and their employees shortly after Thompson’s murder.
“I think health plans will see this and realize there is a lot of hate against them and their executives,” D’Amico said.
