NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown.

[MassGuy]

Lol, it’s apparently a race between the news media and the police to gather video.

The more that’s out there the better.

 

[MrsWatson]

Even the Beeb is covering this.

New photos released as police hunt killer

The NYPD says the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan was "a premediated, targeted attack".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Sundog]

Seems odd he would tell her to have her on edge as well.

Jmo

I suspect that the CEO of a health care company would receive a lot of threats, so maybe he didn't get into too much detail because he was used to it to some degree.

 

[Curiousobserver]

That phone call now bothers me. I work for a similar size company close enough to observe the C-suit and when they travel they are almost never ever alone, they have an entourage. Especially when there is an investor day presentation. How did he arrive at just the right time, and know for example that he had time to stop at Starbuck's?

 

[skymom]

Yes, we used to have United Healthcare through my husband's employer and they are as big as Blue Cross. I was very satified with our coverage.

One big issue with UHC is their rate of denying coverage, in particular with Medicare Advantage plans - which has a different business model than Employer based plans. Most employers self insure and just have the insurance company administer the claims. So they might give more leeway.

Medicare Advantage plans take $ from Medicare (instead of Medicare paying your claims) and pay out from that. They can severely restrict what providers are covered, and I saw a stat that UHC has the highest claim denial rate (over 30%, when the industry average is in the low teens). Open enrollment for Medicare is about to end, and all of the promotions are for Advantage plans - because that is where the insurance companies can make the most profit. They tempt you with "add ons" like "free" vision and dental but then the Advantage plan decides what medical treatments they will cover for you. Penny wise and pound foolish - I went with a Medigap (or Supplemental) plan.

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

Update from Alex Pena and Aric Toler

www.nytimes.com

View attachment 549162View attachment 549163View attachment 549164

This is why I think that a second person is involved. He's telling him that the CEO is in the Lobby and getting ready to head over to the Hilton.

JMO.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

My first reaction, having had experience handling executive escalations of benefit claim issues, was the shooter has had coverage of a medical service for a family member denied and it probably didn't end well. This guy likely blames the insurance carrier (rightly or wrongly) for a death in his family. Anyone obsessed with such an issue could easily find out when and where an annual investor meeting was being held.

This is so awful. I also bet the guy’s not local and hopped on a flight home immediately. I hope they find him, and have confidence they will.

This is my query as well..... was he so cocky confident because he had that flight clearly arranged?
We shall see.

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

One big issue with UHC is their rate of denying coverage, in particular with Medicare Advantage plans - which has a different business model than Employer based plans. Most employers self insure and just have the insurance company administer the claims. So they might give more leeway.

Medicare Advantage plans take $ from Medicare (instead of Medicare paying your claims) and pay out from that. They can severely restrict what providers are covered, and I saw a stat that UHC has the highest claim denial rate (over 30%, when the industry average is in the low teens). Open enrollment for Medicare is about to end, and all of the promotions are for Advantage plans - because that is where the insurance companies can make the most profit. They tempt you with "add ons" like "free" vision and dental but then the Advantage plan decides what medical treatments they will cover for you. Penny wise and pound foolish - I went with a Medigap (or Supplemental) plan.

We have had UHC Medicare Advantage for a year. It has covered a lot more at a lesser cost to us than UHC coverage through my husband's employer. It's pretty expensive because of the tiered premium (based on income) and the "Obamacare" tax on Part D. It's been good for us, but we aren't all that sick.

JMO.

 

[MassGuy]

He’s in trouble with that bike rental:

An electric Citi Bike like the one reportedly used as a getaway vehicle after the murder of United HealthCare C.E.O. Brian Thompson creates “digital exhaust,” streams of data that can be used to track the rider, said David Shmoys, a computer scientist at Cornell University who helped design the system.

Between the creation of a Citi Bike account, connecting it to a credit card, undocking it, riding it around the city and docking it at a new location, every user creates many “streams of digital breadcrumbs” that can help Lyft, the company that operates Citi Bike, track the user’s location, and possibly their identity, Mr. Shmoys said.

Combined with the user’s phone data and location shared with cell towers, “It is amazing how much information is conveyed,” Mr. Shmoys said.

Every Citi Bike user must use a credit card to create an account, and the IP address used to do so is recorded, said Brian Muller, a regular Citi Bike user who participates in a program to redistribute bikes where they’re needed around the city. The credit card could be stolen and the IP address masked to hide the person’s identity, said Mr. Muller, who works as an information technology engineer.

“If the perpetrator was smart, they would have a throwaway Lyft account not associated with their personal accounts,” Mr. Muller said.

Perhaps the only advantage to using a Citi Bike was timing. The shooting occurred in Midtown Manhattan at 6:44 a.m., when commuters are typically riding thousands of Citi Bikes to office buildings in the area.

“It’s a time of day when there’s a lot of bikes in Midtown,” Mr. Shmoys said. “Those stations are full.”

Update from Alex Pena and Aric Toler

www.nytimes.com

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Oooof very young man :-(
Excuse my ignorance, UnitedHealthcare? I have never heard of this company here in the UK, is this a huge company, any controversies surrounding this, significant achievements and/or capital? Trying to figure out why this poor man was targeted, horrible thing to do. Edited: to add a letter s after a noun.

also... United Health Care is the only provider through AARP....so huge huge subscriber population.

 

[Arkay]

But DNA on the coffee cup. Where did he throw it out?

Took it with him, threw it out elsewhere, or knows his DNA is not in the system.

DNA on the cup will certainly help ID him, if indeed he is in CODIS.

Wherever he threw the cup away, there will likely be a camera that recorded him. The NYPD will be checking all the footage in the vicinity and trying to find that coffee cup.*

IMO he will be caught due to the extensive cameras around here, but it would be helpful if someone who knows him would come forward with an ID.

I would be astonished if the culprit gave his real name at Starbucks. I cannot see that happening.

* ETA—I’m certain that a stop was already given to the Sanitation Department so that they don’t collect anything from the garbage pails….although the killer could have just tossed the cup in the street, and the wind today would blow it God knows where.

JMO

 

[Inthedetails]

He’s in trouble with that bike rental:

An electric Citi Bike like the one reportedly used as a getaway vehicle after the murder of United HealthCare C.E.O. Brian Thompson creates “digital exhaust,” streams of data that can be used to track the rider, said David Shmoys, a computer scientist at Cornell University who helped design the system.

Between the creation of a Citi Bike account, connecting it to a credit card, undocking it, riding it around the city and docking it at a new location, every user creates many “streams of digital breadcrumbs” that can help Lyft, the company that operates Citi Bike, track the user’s location, and possibly their identity, Mr. Shmoys said.

Combined with the user’s phone data and location shared with cell towers, “It is amazing how much information is conveyed,” Mr. Shmoys said.

Every Citi Bike user must use a credit card to create an account, and the IP address used to do so is recorded, said Brian Muller, a regular Citi Bike user who participates in a program to redistribute bikes where they’re needed around the city. The credit card could be stolen and the IP address masked to hide the person’s identity, said Mr. Muller, who works as an information technology engineer.

“If the perpetrator was smart, they would have a throwaway Lyft account not associated with their personal accounts,” Mr. Muller said.

Perhaps the only advantage to using a Citi Bike was timing. The shooting occurred in Midtown Manhattan at 6:44 a.m., when commuters are typically riding thousands of Citi Bikes to office buildings in the area.

“It’s a time of day when there’s a lot of bikes in Midtown,” Mr. Shmoys said. “Those stations are full.”

Update from Alex Pena and Aric Toler

www.nytimes.com

FWIW, I don't think he used his credit card to get the Citibike, I don't think he used his credit card to pay for his coffee, I don't think he used his regular phone when making that morning call, and I don't think he boarded a plane today.

Unless he's super dumb, and in that case, yay!

jmo

 

[dotr]

Dec 4, 2024 #CNN #News
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan in an apparent “brazen, targeted attack,” according to police. CNN obtained surveillance video showing the moment the shooting happened. CNN correspondent Brynn Gingras reports

 

[whitelilac]

You don't suppose the found cellphone is a decoy of some sort, discarded on purpose, with info that would point in the wrong direction.
Seems so careless to drop a phone when the actual shooting was done with such coolness.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

But what's the message? People can guess, but it's certainly not a clear message, imo.

I'm on the fence about the motive. I need more info.

jmo

Well, I think that is what I was trying to express..... There MAY BE a big message that will now come out....
So its a wait and see game.

 

[Columbo Was The Best]

This thread is going fast and somebody might have already asked this: is there any chance this person was ''flown in'' a few days ago from another country just for this hit assignment?

 

[Jsizzle]

I am absolutely floored by the heinous negative comments by grown adults on social media regarding this man’s loss of life. Really really sad and unfortunate that his friends and family would have to read them. RIP Brian.

 

[ElizaKate]

Leaning towards a professional hit too. This guy has done this before. He's very calm, skilled and not put off by having a very close witness. Appears he had a set window of time. Seems too coincidental that this happened the morning of the conference for it to not be linked to his business dealings/recent DoJ investigation.

The found mobile phone. Quite possible that this could just be someone's lost phone and completely unrelated.

 

[MassGuy]

You don't suppose the found cellphone is a decoy of some sort, discarded on purpose, with info that would point in the wrong direction.
Seems so careless to drop a phone when the actual shooting was done with such coolness.

I doubt it. There’s an excellent chance he left DNA on that device, and that would be much too big a risk. Perhaps that’s where he changed clothing, and took his phone out of his pocket with the intention of putting it back in his pocket once he changed.

And forgot…

 

[nhmemorymaker]

You don't suppose the found cellphone is a decoy of some sort, discarded on purpose, with info that would point in the wrong direction.
Seems so careless to drop a phone when the actual shooting was done with such coolness.

I am thinking it was intentional.