CVS, top insurers pull executive photos from websites after Brian Thompson murder
Following the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, major insurers and healthcare companies are scrubbing images of executives from their websites.
The health insurance industry is seemingly taking extra precautions following the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with major insurers and healthcare companies scrubbing images and bios of executives from their websites.
Thompson was ambushed on Wednesday as he walked to the Residences Hilton Club in Midtown Manhattan, where he was slated to speak at UnitedHealthcare’s investor conference later in the day.
Police said he was twice shot by a masked gunman around 6:45 a.m. as he neared W. 54th St. near Sixth Ave. The 50-year-old CEO and father of two was pronounced dead within the hour.
Law enforcement have since described the deadly violence as a “premeditated, preplanned targeted” attack. The suspect, who fled the scene on a Citi Bike, remains at large.
In wake of the shooting, UnitedHealthcare — the largest health insurance company in the U.S. — yanked Thompson’s photo from its website, as well as those of other executives.
CVS Health, which operates insurer Aetna, followed suit on Thursday, but declined to comment on the matter, according to Reuters. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield took similar action, deleting a page that once listed 25 executives. Clicking its link now redirects to the company’s “About Us” page, 404 Media first reported.
Elevance, another top insurer, also wiped information about its executives from its site, as did a number of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, including those in North Carolina and Massachusetts.
The manhunt for Thompson’s shooter hit its third day on Friday. His identity is still unknown, despite authorities releasing photos and surveillance video. The suspect was last spotted wearing a black face mask, a black outfit and white sneakers, according to police.
Authorities said they’re hoping a water bottle and protein bar wrapper found in a trash can near the scene of the shooting — both items purchased by the shooter at a Starbucks — can provide further clues. The city’s crime lab is examining those items for DNA and fingerprints.
With News Wire Services
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