UnitedHealth Group resumes operations after Luigi Mangione kills Brian Thompson

CEO of UnitedHealth Group Andrew Witty said Thursday that the company is confident it will be able to grow its business in fiscal 2025. His optimism comes shortly after the head of its insurance unit was shot and killed in New York, sparking a heated conversation about the role of the health insurance industry in the United States.

“The people of UnitedHealth Group remain focused on making high-quality, affordable health care more accessible to more people, while making the health care system easier to navigate for patients and providers, which positions us well for growth in 2025,” Witty said in earnings. companies. report on Thursday.

The company reached $100.81 billion in revenue in the quarter. It was slightly below Wall Street’s estimate of $101.76 billion.

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The company’s annual medical expense ratio — calculated by dividing the total medical expenses paid by the insurer by total insurance premiums collects — jumped to 85.5%, compared to 83.2% in 2023.

Premium income rose to $76.48 billion in the fourth quarter, up from $73.23 billion in the same period a year ago.

It marked the first quarter since Brian Thompson, the chief executive of United Healthcare, was gunned down outside a New York hotel in early December in what police called a “premeditated, targeted attack.” As the search for his killer began, scores of people vented their frustrations about America’s health care system online, many of them even mocking Thompson’s murder.

Luigi Mangione was arrested and charged with Thompson’s murder on December 4.

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During the company’s earnings call, Witty thanked everyone for the “great expressions of sympathy and support.” after Thompson’s murder.

“Many of you knew Brian personally. You knew how much he meant to all of us and how he dedicated his time to help make the health care system work better for all the people that all people were privileged to serve,” Witty said, adding that Thompson ” he would devote himself with passion and care to finding solutions to improve the experience, whether for the individual consumer, employer or public health agency.”

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He went on to say that there are hundreds of thousands of nurses, doctors, clerks, customer service professionals, pharmacists and technologists within the company “who share that commitment and are determined to advance that business.”

“The challenge before us, all of us health care providers, payers, employers, pharmaceutical companies and policymakers, is to continue to improve quality and health outcomes for individuals and their families while reducing costs for everyone,” Witty said.