In the wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s shocking murder, several top executives at major health insurance companies have taken steps to protect their identities. Many of these companies have removed or hidden online information about their leadership teams, raising concerns about security within the industry.
An online investigator noticed on Thursday that the leadership pages of several health insurers no longer show biographies of their top executives. For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield has redirected its “Leadership” page to its “About Us” section. Similarly, CareSource’s “Executive Leadership” page now leads to the homepage, and attempting to access individual bios of its top leaders results in “Not Found” messages. Medica has also removed information about its executives, redirecting its “Leadership” page to the homepage and making executive news releases unavailable with a message saying, “We can’t find the page you’re looking for.”
A spokesperson for Medica confirmed to reporters that these changes were made for the safety of employees. “The safety of Medica employees is our top priority, and we have increased security measures,” the spokesperson said. The company also closed its office buildings temporarily “out of an abundance of caution,” even though no specific threats had been made.
When asked why they removed the leadership pages, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association declined to comment on security measures.
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As of Friday, the leadership pages for other major insurers, such as Cigna, Kaiser Permanente, Humana, and Aetna, remain active.
Authorities believe Thompson was targeted in a deliberate attack. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the shooter appeared to be waiting specifically for Thompson, even though many others passed by him. Investigators are working with limited clues, including bullet casings with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” on them.
The NYPD has released photos of the suspected shooter and is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The motive for the killing remains unclear.
