UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, who rose from humble Midwestern beginnings to lead one of the largest U.S. health insurers, was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024. Thompson had spent more than 20 years climbing the company ranks before his 2021 promotion, and under his leadership UnitedHealthcare's earnings from operations climbed to more than $16 billion in 2023 from $12 billion in 2021. In 2024, he received $10.2 million in compensation, including $1 million in base pay plus cash and stock grants, while overseeing major expansion in the insurance arm that sells private health plans under Medicare Advantage, a federally funded program covering around 70 million Americans, mainly those 65 and older. He also guided the division through inquiries and criticism from congressional lawmakers and federal regulators over allegations that it systematically denied authorization for health care procedures and treatments, and he was among at least four executives named in a lawsuit accusing UnitedHealth Group of concealing a Justice Department antitrust investigation from shareholders while insiders sold stock, including $15 million of his personal shares. Thompson was walking into a Midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group's annual investor day when a masked gunman shot him three times in the back and fled on a Citi Bike.