UnitedHealthcare's Leaked Talking Points UHC tells employee to dispute social media criticism, praise slain CEO

[tenderfoot]

In response to widespread public criticism following the murder of its CEO Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare has circulated talking points to its employees that I’ve obtained. The talking points give a sense of the backlash from UnitedHealthcare’s own customers.

One section about customers seeking to cancel their plans over the killing instructs employees to counter that “there is no need to change your plan due to this incident.”

Characteristically out-of-touch, the communications guidance directs employees to say that their mission includes “ensuring that everyone we have the privilege to service has access to the health care they need.” Not being able to access care is, of course, the entire reason so many people are furious at the health insurance industry in the first place. The same glib tone is evident throughout the talking points, one of which instructs employees to refer to the late CEO Thompson as “our esteemed colleague” and a “highly respected professional” — descriptions that are quite different than those I’ve heard from the rank-and-file employees I interviewed.

-snip-

Despite all the sunny talk, there’s one type of query employees are told not to engage with under any circumstances. “If you receive a call from anyone in the media, do not engage,” the guidance states. This has been a particular focus of the company, including Andrew Witty, CEO of parent company United Health Group. This past weekend, Witty gave a company address complaining about the “aggressive” coverage, telling employees, “just don’t engage with the media,” as I previously reported.

more: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/unitedhealthcares-leaked-talking

[ColinC]

1. An evil system does nothing but perpetuate evil

[dgauss]

2. Time for the UHC "Communications" team to earn their money.

I almost feel sorry for them. At least the ones that didn't know what they were signing up for and just thought it was a good job.

[slightlv]

3. I see UHC eventually going out

Of business. Perhaps merged or hedge funded out of existence.

The peasants are gathering pitchforks.

[TheProle]

6. ...

The peasants are gathering pitchforks talking a lot of shit on the internet.

[RobinA]

11. True, But It Only Takes

one angry peasant to shoot somebody dead on 6th Avenue.

[slightlv]

12. You're right... they're talking shit right now.

But enough people talking shit, getting riled up about shared-type experiences, with a focus for their anger... all it takes is one individual to rally those people in a way that bad crap happens.

And there are a lot of us out here who are NOT talking shit on xitter or anywhere else... who don't do social media and scream and yell all over it... but WE are the ones who are stewing in our juices, meeting and talking about how to build a resistance for the foreseeable future (since I personally don't think trump will go away in 4 years... and if he does, it'll either be Vance or Musk promoted).

[SunSeeker]

8. They'll just rename themselves, like how Philip Morris Tobacco changed to "Altria" in 2003.

And like the really disgusting nursing home in town keeps changing its name after every major wrongful death lawsuit or bad story in the paper it gets hit with.

[Yavin4]

4. If we had access to government health insurance, we wouldn't need a corporate communications team. n/t

[SunSeeker]

7. How much must it suck to have to parrot that garbage?

I couldn't do it.

[SunSeeker]

10. Bye.