The killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of the insurance division of UnitedHealth Group, provided a window into the vitriol that prominent health care leaders have been facing.
Workers across health care face safety risks. People employed in the industry are about five times more likely than people in other private industries to experience workplace violence, according to federal data. Those risks fall most heavily on workers who directly interact with the public, such as clinicians and security guards, the data show.
In recent years, the threat level seems to have risen for health care executives. Following the backlash against Covid-19 vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer began spending significantly on the personal safety of their leadership. For instance, as of 2023, Moderna spent over $1 million on executive protection for its CEO, Stéphane Bancel, and Pfizer spent $800,000 to protect CEO Albert Bourla, according to the companies’ regulatory filings.
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