Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
High-Level Execs Scramble For More Protection After Thompson's Slaying
CNBC: Executives Seek More Protection After Killing Of UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson, Says Risk Management Firm Kroll
Chief executives and other high-level corporate officers are seeking additional security protection after the brazen slaying of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive officer in New York, according to a top risk management firm. (Coombs and Mangan, 12/5)
The New York Times: Killing Of Brian Thompson Sets Off Fear Among Executives Already Worried About Safety
Leaders at Allied Universal, which provides security services for 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies, said their phones were “ringing off the hook” on Wednesday with potential clients. Allied covers a wide spectrum of services — including stationing guards outside offices, chauffeuring executives, surveilling their homes and tracking their families. Protecting a chief executive full time costs roughly $250,000 a year, said Glen Kucera, who runs Allied’s enhanced protection services. (Goldberg, 12/6)
AP: Slaying Of UnitedHealthcare CEO Spotlights Complex Challenge Companies Face In Protecting Top Brass
Some high-profile CEOs surround themselves with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while he walked alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take in protecting their leaders against threats. Thompson had no personal security and appeared unaware of the shooter lurking before he was gunned down. Some of the biggest U.S. companies, particularly those in the tech sector, spend heavily on personal and residential security for their top executives. (Geller, Bussewitz and Liedtke, 12/6)
The hunt for the alleged killer continued —
AP: New Clues Emerge As Hunt For UnitedHealthcare CEO's Shooter Enters Third Day
As the investigation into a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of one of the largest U.S. health insurers moved into its third day Friday, possible leads emerged about his travel before the shooting. Investigators also now believe the suspect may have traveled to New York last month on a bus that originated in Atlanta, one of the law enforcement officials said. Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the suspect. (Balsamo, Offenhartz and Sisak, 12/6)
The New York Times: Suspect In Killing Of Insurance C.E.O. Is Said To Have Used Fake New Jersey ID
A series of developments — details of a stay at the hostel, a possible link to a gun purchased in Connecticut, bullet casings inscribed with the words “deny” and “delay” — suggested investigators could be inching closer to identifying the gunman. Investigators have not established a motive in the shooting. (McFadden and Kilgannon, 12/6)
The Washington Post: Online Sleuths Are Racing To Catch The UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killer
Amateur internet sleuths are racing to identify the gunman who killed the chief of the nation’s largest health insurer in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, hoping to piece together clues and beat police investigators at their own high-profile manhunt. (Harwell, Gilbert and MacMillan, 12/5)
