Brian Thompson's boss speaks out after killing: U.S. health system needs fixing

Driving the news: UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty — who was Thompson's boss — wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Friday that the company recognizes "the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people's frustrations with it."

• "No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It's a patchwork built over decades. Our mission is to help make it work better," Witty wrote.
• He added: "We are willing to partner with anyone ... to find ways to deliver high-quality care and lower costs."
• UnitedHealthcare is a division of UnitedHealth Group.

The op-ed marks Witty's first public comments about the nation's reaction to Thompson's death.

• Luigi Mangione, 26, was charged with shooting and killing Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan.
• The public reaction has included widespread support for the alleged killer.

In his op-ed, Witty said UnitedHealth Group is "struggling to make sense of this unconscionable act and the vitriol that has been directed at our colleagues who have been barraged by threats."

• "No employees — be they the people who answer customer calls or nurses who visit patients in their homes — should have to fear for their and their loved ones' safety," he wrote.
• Thompson, he said, "pushed us to build dedicated teams to help the sickest people navigate the health system" and "fought for preventive health and quality health outcomes rather than simply adding ever more tests and procedures."