(NewsNation) — The CEO of UnitedHealth Group has stepped down, according to the company.
Andrew Witty has decided to step down immediately, due to “personal reasons.” The company quickly announced his predecessor as Stephen J. Hemsley, who was the CEO from 2006 to 2017. He joined UnitedHealth Group as COO in 1997 before becoming president in 1999.
Witty said, “Leading the people of UnitedHealth Group has been a tremendous honor as they work every day to improve the health system, and they will continue to inspire me.”
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Hemsley will remain the chairman of UnitedHealth Group’s board of directors, while Witty is planning to serve as Hemsley’s senior adviser.
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In a statement, Hemsley said, “We are grateful for Andrew’s stewardship of UnitedHealth Group, especially during some of the most challenging times any company has ever faced.” Hemsley is presumably referencing the killing of former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. UnitedHealthcare is the healthcare benefits branch of UnitedHealth Group.
Thompson’s shooting outside a Manhattan hotel in December brought more attention to the health care industry — specifically the cost of health insurance, health care and prescription drugs. The man accused of killing Thompson, Luigi Mangione, has been hailed as a hero by many people since the shooting.
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Witty did admit in a New York Times essay in December that the health care system in the U.S. “is not perfect” and that decisions made about coverage “are not well understood.”
Witty also said at the time, “The people of UnitedHealth Group are nurses, doctors, patient and client advocates, technologists and more. They all come to work each day to provide critical health services for millions of Americans in need.”
Luigi Mangione accused of killing former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Mangione, 27, graduated from an Ivy League school and is facing separate federal and state murder charges in the former CEO’s killing. If convicted, he could face life in prison, or possibly the death penalty.
Demonstrators across from Manhattan Criminal Court during the arraignment of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of a UnitedHealth Group Inc. chief executive officer Brian Thompson, in New York, US, on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Mangione pleaded not guilty to New York state murder charges Monday over the shooting of a top UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive, kicking off a high-profile case that will likely be the first to go to trial. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 23: A protestor holds a sign outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23, 2024 in New York City. Luigi Mangione appeared for his arraignment on state murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)FILE – Luigi Nicholas Mangione leaves the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)FILE – Luigi Mangione , accused of fatally shooting the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City and leading authorities on a five-day search is scheduled, appears in court for a hearing, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in New York. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool, File)”Luigi the Musical” will debut with five-sold out shows in San Francisco’s Taylor Street Theatre. The production willstar actor and comic Jonny Stein as Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year. (Pool/Getty Images)Demonstrators across from Manhattan Criminal Court during the arraignment of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of a UnitedHealth Group Inc. chief executive officer Brian Thompson, in New York, US, on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Mangione pleaded not guilty to New York state murder charges Monday over the shooting of a top UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive, kicking off a high-profile case that will likely be the first to go to trial. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLuigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan Criminal court for his arraignment on state murder and terror charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK, US – FEBRUARY 21: Luigi Mangione’s supporters gathered outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday as he appeared in the court for his hearing on New York state murder and terrorism charges. New York City, U.S., February 21, 2025. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)Luigi Mangione supporters hold signs outside the Supreme Court on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)El sospechoso Luigi Mangione es llevado al tribunal del condado de Blair el martes 10 de diciembre de 2024, en Hollidaysburg, Pensilvania (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP).
A federal grand jury indicted Mangione in Manhattan on four counts of stalking, the use of interstate facilities, murder through the use of a firearm and firearms offense. Mangione is in a federal jail in Brooklyn.
UnitedHealth Group also announced Tuesday that it would be suspending the financial outlook for the year because costs for Medicare Advantage had been “higher than expected.”
