The CEO of the largest US health insurance company was shot: the intersection of poor public security, public opinion storm and capital trust crisis

Recently, Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, the largest US health insurance company, was unfortunately shot in front of the Hilton Hotel in the heart of Manhattan, New York. This sudden tragedy not only shocked the whole country, but also triggered widespread social concerns about the public security environment, gun control and the safety of corporate executives. At the same time, it also pushed people’s trust crisis in capital companies such as insurance companies to a new climax.

UnitedHealth Group CEO was shot, shocking the whole country

Thompson, a 50-year-old business elite, encountered a carefully planned attack when he arrived at the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday morning to attend the company’s investor meeting. The murderer fired several shots in a row when Thompson was unprepared, causing him to be shot in the back and calf, and died after being sent to the hospital. This vicious incident quickly caused an uproar on the Internet. People condemned the murderer’s cruel behavior and expressed deep sympathy and condolences for the victim’s unfortunate experience.

The New York Police Department quickly intervened in the investigation, and released photos and related information of the suspect, offering a reward for collecting clues. However, despite the police’s full pursuit, the murderer is still at large. The New York police disclosed on Friday that according to the current investigation, the suspect may have left New York City by bus, which makes the investigation of the case more complicated and difficult.

Trust crisis: American people’s dissatisfaction and anger with insurance companies

What is more worrying is that after this incident, the public opinion on the Internet in the United States has changed significantly. It is reported that the bullet shells used by the murderer found at the scene are engraved with words such as “delay”, “rejection” and “removal”, which seem to imply that the assassination is related to the insurance company’s profit-making behavior of refusing a large number of insurance. This news quickly fermented on the Internet, triggering a large number of netizens’ anger and dissatisfaction with the insurance company’s refusal to insure. Many netizens have posted their own experiences of refusal to insure, expressing their dissatisfaction and anger with the insurance company, causing the hatred to continue to escalate.

In fact, the negative emotions of the American people towards capital companies such as insurance companies have long existed. In recent years, with the continuous increase in insurance rejection rates and the decline in service quality, many American people have greatly reduced their trust in insurance companies. After Thompson’s assassination, this emotion has been concentrated. Many netizens posted on social media, criticizing the high rejection rate, opaque operations and indifferent treatment of patients by insurance companies. Some people even said that they had been in trouble because of insurance claims, and some even lost their lives. The accumulation of this anger and dissatisfaction made Thompson’s experience an outlet for many people to vent their dissatisfaction.

UnitedHealth Group’s stock price has also been hit hard. After the incident, the company’s stock price fell 5% on Thursday and continued to fall 5% on Friday, and its market value evaporated by US$56.2 billion (about RMB 408.6 billion) in two days. This incident not only brought huge economic losses to UnitedHealth Group, but also made other insurance companies feel unprecedented pressure. In order to cope with this crisis, major insurance companies have taken action. UnitedHealth Group and its parent company UnitedHealth Insurance have deleted photos of executives and board members on their official websites to reduce potential risks. Another well-known health insurance company, Medica, closed its main campus in Minnesota and strengthened protection for all employees on the grounds of employee safety. Centene, a US Medicaid insurance company, also changed its investor day event originally scheduled for next Thursday to an online format to ensure the safety of the company’s key decision makers.

Severe challenges: security environment and gun control issues exposed

These actions undoubtedly reflect the concerns and uneasiness of American society about the current security environment. In such an environment, everyone is in danger, and companies have to take additional security measures to protect themselves and their employees. Some insurance companies have even begun to re-evaluate their handling of activities such as investor meetings and shareholder meetings to ensure that there are sufficient protective barriers around the company’s key decision makers.

This incident not only exposed the serious problems of gun control in American society, but also highlighted the poor security environment in the United States. For a long time, the United States has been plagued by gun violence. Although the government and all sectors of society have repeatedly called for strengthening gun control, this problem has never been effectively resolved. In such a social environment, people’s sense of security is greatly threatened, and the normal operation of enterprises has also been seriously affected.

Rebuilding trust: the responsibilities and challenges of insurance companies and the government

In addition to the security environment and gun control issues, this incident has also triggered a deep reflection on the trust crisis of capital companies such as insurance companies. How to rebuild the public’s trust in insurance companies has become an urgent problem to be solved. Some experts suggest that insurance companies should strengthen internal management, improve service quality, and enhance the public’s trust in them. At the same time, the government should also strengthen supervision of insurance companies to ensure their compliance operations and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.

Faced with such a dilemma, the US government and all sectors of society must take practical and effective measures to improve the security environment, strengthen gun control, and ensure the safety of corporate executives. The government should increase its crackdown on gun crimes and strengthen the formulation and implementation of gun control laws; at the same time, capital companies such as insurance companies should also actively respond to public concerns and demands, strengthen internal management, improve service quality, and rebuild public trust in them. Only in this way can we jointly cope with the current challenges and return American society to stability and prosperity.