Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story UnitedHealth CEO blames drug companies for high costsIn his first public remarks since the murder of

Witty's comments came during the company's first earnings call since the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of the company's insurance arm UnitedHealthcare.

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty honored Brian Thompson, the health insurance executive murdered last month, praising his dedication to improving the U.S. health care system. Witty acknowledged public support following the tragedy and highlighted the nation’s costly health care as the root issue behind access and quality concerns.

UnitedHealth has named a new head of its insurance segment less than two months after the death of a former executive.

The updated tally extends the scope beyond what was previously described by company Chief Executive Andrew Witty.

The number of individuals confirmed to be affected by the data breach is almost double the company's previous estimate.

The new estimate nearly doubles the company’s previous report of 100 million affected individuals, already the largest healthcare data breach ever reported to federal regulators.

The cyberattack at UnitedHealth Group exposed personal information of 190 million people, leading to a $22 million ransom payment in bitcoin.

CEO Andrew Witty promised that UnitedHealthcare would work to speed up turnaround times for approval of some procedures and services in Medicare Advantage plans.

Pharmacy benefit managers actually "play a vital role in holding" sometimes-inflated prices down, said UHG CEO Andrew Witty in an earnings call.

Sarah James; Analyst; Cantor Fitzgerald Joanna Gajuk; Analyst; BofA Global Research

Andrew Witty, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group, testifies at a May 2024 Senate Finance Committee hearing examining cyber attacks on health care and the Change Healthcare cyberattack.