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Олександр КузьменкоThat's Life
6 December 2024, 16:26
2024-12-06
The CEO of health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, who was shot in New York, previously launched an AI algorithm that repeatedly denied payments to elderly patients
The other day, the CEO of the insurance company UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was killed in the center of Manhattan by an unknown man in a mask, who used a gun with a silencer and fled on an electric bicycle. Police still haven’t been able to apprehend him or determine his motive, but UnitedHealthcare has previously been accused of using a hacked AI that denied patients payments.
The other day, the CEO of the insurance company UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was killed in the center of Manhattan by an unknown man in a mask, who used a gun with a silencer and fled on an electric bicycle. Police still haven’t been able to apprehend him or determine his motive, but UnitedHealthcare has previously been accused of using a hacked AI that denied patients payments.
As reported by Newsweek and Futurism, the killing drew a wide range of reactions, with many critics pointing out that the company denied insurance coverage to some patients. Others, however, called the response insensitive, saying the killing could not be justified and that acts of violence must be condemned.
«Just to remind you that Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth, who was just shot in New York, was a man with a family. Many of the comments about his murder are vile,» wrote Julie Nelson, anchor of KARE news station at X (Twitter).
The criticism of UnitedHealthcare, which has drawn attention since the death of the company’s CEO, involves a lawsuit alleging that the company is using artificial intelligence to deny coverage to some elderly Medicare Advantage patients. UnitedHealthcare allegedly knew the algorithm had a 90% chance of error, it said.
The lawsuit was filed on November 14, 2023. It names UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare and NaviHealth as defendants. The lawsuit was filed by the families of two now-deceased patients who were denied nursing home coverage by UnitedHealthcare. The lawsuit is ongoing, and his claims have not been proven in court.
What UnitedHealthcare is accused of
The lawsuit alleges that the insurance company continues to use the system because it knows that only about 0.2 percent of customers will appeal denied claims, and most will «either pay out-of-pocket costs or forego the remainder of their post-hospital care.»
The lawsuit alleges that UnitedHealthcare is betting «on poor patient outcomes, lack of knowledge and resources to appeal erroneous AI decisions.»
It said the AI model was used to compare a patient’s diagnosis, age, life situation and physical function with similar patients to predict a person’s needs, expected length of stay and planned discharge date from medical facilities. However, the model allegedly provided «general recommendations» that did not «take into account a patient’s individual circumstances and conflicted with the basic rules for what Medicare Advantage plans should cover,» the lawsuit said.
Lawyers for UnitedHealth Group said in May that the lawsuit should be withdrawn because the plaintiffs «have not exhausted the exclusive administrative appeals process established by the Medicare Act,» according to Stat. They said the issues raised in the lawsuit involve the federal government, not UnitedHealth or its subsidiaries.
The lawsuit also says that more than 90 percent of those denials that were appealed were eventually overturned.
Smiles and signed cartridges — what is known about the killer of the CEO of UnitedHealth Group
Thompson, 50, was shot outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, police said. The masked suspect fired several shots and fled the scene into a nearby alley before riding an electric bicycle in the direction of Central Park.
Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. He was expected to give an investor presentation at the Hilton Hotel for UnitedHealthcare, the largest private health insurer in the US, later that day. He held the position of CEO of the company since 2021.
Authorities said Thursday that a bullet found at the scene of the shooting had the words «deny», «defend» and «depose». New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that the suspect had been «waiting» for several minutes before the shooting.
🚨UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.
The suspect in Thompson’s murder has not yet been arrested, but police have released a photo of him without a mask. His face was caught on camera when a hotel employee who was flirting with him asked him to remove his mask.
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