A controversial AI program used to deny elderly people health coverage is now at the center of questions about the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Brian Thompson, 50 was gunned down Wednesday outside a Hilton in Midtown Manhattan in what police have described as a 'brazen' and 'targeted' attack.
The killer is still on the loose and the motive is not yet known - but a former-FBI agent told Newsweek that he may have been denied health coverage.
UnitedHealthcare became the largest denier of insurance plans in 2023, dismissing one in every three claims.
It has now emerged that during the years before that, the company implemented AI software that had a 90 percent denial rate.
A lawsuit has claimed the software led to the deaths of at least two men who were elderly patients denied post care following a stroke and fall.
UnitedHealthcare is said to have launched the nH Predict AI Model in 2019, with Thompson taking over as CEO in April 2021 - years before the lawsuit was filed.
Thompson's shooter, who has yet to be identified, wrote the words 'deny,' 'defend' and 'depose' on the shell casing recovered at the murder scene, which refers to alleged tactics insurance companies are accused of using to avoid paying claims.