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Any hopes that the shocking reaction<\/a> to the brazen shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson would be a wake-up call for his troubled industry should be put on hold, it appears. In a video message to employees of the company, Andrew Witty<\/strong>, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare parent company, UnitedHealth Group, doubled down on the importance and value of the insurance company, and told its employees to ignore any \u201ccritical noise\u201d regarding the American health<\/a> care insurance system<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thompson, a 50-year-old who had worked<\/a> for UnitedHealthcare since 2004, was shot and killed Wednesday morning outside the hotel where his company was holding an investors meeting. The manhunt<\/a> for his killer has dominated headlines and news programs since then, a likely combination of the national obsession with true crime<\/a> and our country\u2019s frustration with a health insurance industry<\/a> known to worry, infuriate, and stonewall its users.<\/p>\n That mixture led to a wave of reaction notable\u2014even in these oft-inhumane times<\/a>\u2014for its lack of sympathy for the victim of a crime. Sharing screengrabs of just a few critical and joking responses to the news of Thompson\u2019s shooting, Justice Is Global founder Tobita Chow<\/strong> wrote on X<\/a> (formerly Twitter) that \u201cpolitical and industry leaders might want to read the comments and think hard about them.\u201d As of publication time, Chow\u2019s post has been viewed nearly 10 million times.<\/p>\n But though the reaction to Thompson\u2019s slaying has been characterized in the press as \u201cgleeful\u201d or \u201cmocking,\u201d to Witty\u2014a British business executive knighted in 2012<\/a> for \u201cservices to the economy and to the UK pharmaceutical industry\u201d\u2014they\u2019re a result of \u201caggressive, inappropriate and disrespectful\u201d media coverage of the issue.<\/p>\n In a video address shared with journalist Ken Klippenstein<\/a>, Witty encouraged employees to avoid members of the press, saying, \u201cYou\u2019ve seen a lot of media interest in this situation with a huge amount of misinformation and frankly offensive communication.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are writing things we simply don\u2019t recognize,\u201d he said, perhaps a reference to coverage from outlets such as the Washington Post<\/em>, which on Friday<\/a> detailed several scandals and legal battles faced by the $400 billion company Witty heads, including increased requirements for \u201cprior authorization\u201d to cover live-saving care and an alleged profit-boosting strategy of increased claim rejection.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure everybody has been disturbed by the amount of negative and, in many cases, vitriolic media and commentary produced over the last few days, particularly in the social media environment,\u201d Witty said. \u201cI\u2019d encourage you to tune out that critical noise that we\u2019re hearing right now. It does not reflect reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Chow disagrees. Speaking with the Post<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> Chow characterized the reaction detailed in his tweet as one that \u201cspeaks to this underlying populist frustration and even rage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if I know anybody<\/em> who hasn\u2019t gone through some nightmare experience with their health insurance provider,\u201d Chow said.<\/p>\n There\u2019s clearly a gap in experience between Chow and Witty, who was reportedly paid<\/a> $23.5 million in 2023. Speaking to his company\u2019s staff, Witty painted a very different portrait of the nation\u2019s health care and Unitedhealthcare\u2019s role in its customer\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we know to be true is the health system needs a company like UnitedHealth Group,\u201d Witty said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe or unnecessary care to be delivered, in a way that makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable,\u201d he continued. \u201cI have never been more proud of what this company and our colleagues do on behalf of the people in this country. I urge you to tune out the negative messaging you hear on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n As of publication time, the suspect in Thompson\u2019s slaying has not been detained or identified. As of midday Saturday, the FBI has announced<\/a> a $50,000 reward for information leading to the shooter\u2019s arrest and conviction, as the agency\u2019s New York field office has agreed to assist the New York Police Department with the investigation.<\/p>\n Deapite that reward, one resource that won\u2019t<\/em> be working to solve the crime is the legion of online amateur detectives who typically flock to every unsolved case. \u201cI have yet to see a single video that\u2019s pounding the drum of \u2018we have to find him,\u2019 and that is unique,\u201d prominent social media sleuth Michael McWhorter<\/strong> told NBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n