The Many Controversies Surrounding UnitedHealthcare, Part 1
And the Many Possible Motives for the Murder of Its CEO, Brian Thompson
Introduction
The cold blooded public killing of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthCare, and the methodical way that the killer planned and executed this depraved action, are topics of much public discussion. Whether this was the act of a lone gunman intent on revenge, or a far more reaching conspiracy hatched by a cabal of criminals, is not yet known. One thing is certain, however. There exists many different people with many different grievances against Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, or both. When all these legitimate grievances against UnitedHealthcare and/or United Healthcare Group are considered in their entirety, the question that must be asked is this. Was the murder of Thompson a single act of violence against one player in a series multifaceted real life dramas, or will more victims find themselves under threat? Most assuredly, Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealthGroup, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, is asking this very pointed question, too.
1. The Data Breach
Thompson's murder immediately grabbed my attention because United HealthCare is only one entity that comes under the umbrella of UnitedHealth Group. United HealthcareGroup is also the parent company of Change HealthCare. Change HealthCare was the victim of a massive data breach and ransomware attack beginning in February 2024. As was reported by Stars and Stripes, February 22, 2024, in its reporting of how the Change Healthcare data breach impacted military clinics and hospitals, Change Healthcare is "the nation’s largest commercial prescription processor." In an article on the breach, published October 24, 2024, TechCrunch described Change HealthCare as:
Change Healthcare is one of the largest handlers of health, medical data, and patient records, as it processes patient insurance and billing across the U.S. healthcare sector, including thousands of hospitals, pharmacies, and medical practices.
This disruption in the ability of pharmacies to process prescriptions and necessary authorizations to provide care caused interruptions in the the medical care of numerous patients.
In May 2024, Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealhcare Group, testified to Congress that "around a third of all Americans," were likely affected by the breach. According to the HIPPA Journal, December 5, 2024, as of October 24, 2024, "Change Healthcare Cyberattack Affected 100 Million Individuals." This is the latest accounting of victim's of the attack provided by The US Department of Health and Human Services. Also citing the same article in the HIPPA Journal noted above, it was not until November 19, 2024, did Change Healthcare have its prescription clearinghouse functions fully restored.
From February 2024 until November 2024, many medical providers were unable to practice modern medicine.
You can read the Dispatches reporting on this attack from a technical viewpoint from February 24, 2024, and from February 28, 2024. In a Dispatch dated, May 1, 2024, the testimony of Andrew Witty before Congress is discussed. Mr. Witty admitted in his statement before Congress that the lack of MultiFactor Authentication (MFA) contributed to the relative ease with which hackers were able to gain access to Change Healthcare. That decision was made by Mr. Witty. A decision that may have cost lives. His was indeed a ghastly decision for which he has yet to be held to account, and as of yet Mr. Witty has paid no price.
Fifty lawsuits were brought against Change Healthcare and its affiliated entities. Some Plaintiffs were individuals who claimed harm by identity theft. Others were medical providers who were harmed when their claims could not be paid. The law firm Garfunkel Wild is representing plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit that integrated these various lawsuits into one suit. The class action lawsuit is proceeding through Minnesota courts now.
As reported by the HIPPA Journal, March 7, 2024, the defendants that were named in one of the original class action lawsuits filed in Minnesota encompassed a long list of United Healthcare entities. "United Health Group Incorporated; UnitedHealthcare Inc. United Health Group Incorporated, UnitedHealthcare Inc., Optum Inc., and Change Healthcare Inc." were each named defendants.
All this begs the question. Was Mr. Thompson gunned down by an aggrieved family member (or agent thereof) who lost a loved one due to the gross ignorance and incompetence of Andrew Witty? That is just one possibility. There are also others possibilities.
Gerald Reiff
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