Tim Noel named next CEO of UnitedHealthcare

MINNEAPOLIS — UnitedHealth Group on Thursday announced that a longtime employee in the company has been named the new leader of its health insurance arm, nearly two months after the killing of former CEO Brian Thompson. 

Tim Noel, who joined UHG in 2007 and most recently served as UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement’s chief executive officer, will become UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.

“He brings unparalleled experience to this role with a proven track record and strong commitment to improving how health care works for consumers, physicians, employers, governments and our other partners,” UHG said in a statement. 

Thompson, 50, was headed to a UnitedHealth Group investors conference at the Hilton Midtown in early December when the gunman fatally shot him, using a handgun modified with a silencer. Thompson most recently resided in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

Following a five-day manhunt, Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania after an employee called police. He was later charged with several counts of murder in New York.

The New York Police Department told CBS News that there are no indications that Mangione was a UnitedHealthcare customer. 

Officials believe Mangione may have targeted the company because of its status as the largest health insurer in the United States.