--- title: "Leaked Video Shows Insurance CEO Gloating About Denying Care, Calling Critics Delusional" description: "A leaked video shows UnitedHealth Group CEO gloating about denying \"unnecessary care\" after the assassination Brian Thompson." date: "2024-12-10" modified: "2024-12-10" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/insurance-ceo-gloating-deny-care" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "health insurance" - "healthcare" - "united healthcare" --- # Leaked Video Shows Insurance CEO Gloating About Denying Care, Calling Critics Delusional ![A leaked video shows UnitedHealth Group CEO gloating about denying "unnecessary care" after the assassination Brian Thompson.]() *\Image: Kent Nishimura via Getty / Futurism\* UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty made some eyebrow-raising remarks following the [assassination of his colleague Brian Thompson](). On the day of Thompson's murder, Witty addressed employees in a company-wide video in which he justified their practice of stamping out "unnecessary" health coverage. "Our role is a critical role, and we make sure that care is safe, appropriate, and is delivered when people need it," Thompson said in the internal virtual address, [leaked by journalist Ken Klippenstein](). "And we guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe care or for unnecessary care to be delivered in a way which makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable." "So we're going to continue to make that case, and we're going to continue to do the work we do," he added. As critics of the healthcare industry might argue, Witty's comments are emblematic of insurers' [ruthless cost-saving policies]() that prevent patients from getting coverage for often crucial or life-saving procedures, leaving them with enormous medical bills. An [analysis by ValuePenguin]() suggests that UnitedHealthcare — a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, which Thompson served as CEO of — denies a staggering 32 percent of claims. That's twice the industry average, and more than any other insurer. The company even [reportedly used an AI algorithm]() to automatically deny some of these claims. On social media, Witty's "unnecessary care" remarks struck a nerve amongst those who have seen themselves or loved ones struggle with UHC's system. "United wouldn't approve my mother for the medicine her doctor said she needed until she first tried this other medicine," [tweeted]() Justin Whang, a popular YouTuber and streamer. "As a result, one day she went temporarily blind on the way home." Another user painfully [recalled]() how her brain surgery was considered "unnecessary" because it was a "cosmetic" issue. "If I had to live with the condition any longer I \[definitely\] wouldn't be here today," she wrote. But according to Witty, these kinds of grievances aren't based in "reality." Seriously. Taking aim at the company's "vitriolic" critics, he launched into a rant about the negative atmosphere in the media and among the public. "I encourage you to tune out that critical noise that we're hearing right now," Witty told employees. "It does not reflect reality. It is simply a sign of an era in which we live." That is an astoundingly tonedeaf thing to say in a country where medical debt is cited in over 66 percent of bankruptcies, [according to a 2019 study](). But is anyone surprised at this point? **More on United:** *[Suspected Killer of Insurance CEO Had Debilitating Back Injury]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()