New York, New York - UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty's latest op-ed has sparked furious reactions as Americans deplore the for-profit health industry following the killing of insurance company executive Brian Thompson.

"As Brian Thompson's family, friends and colleagues mourn his killing, we are bearing a grief and sadness we will carry for the rest of our lives. Grief for the family he leaves behind. And grief for a brilliant, kind man who was working to make health care better for everyone," Witty wrote in the New York Times op-ed published Friday.

Thompson, who was in charge of the UnitedHealth Group's health insurance business, was fatally shot by a masked gunman on December 4 in New York City. The incident was captured on a security camera, which sparked a days-long manhunt that ultimately ended in the arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

A searing manifesto attributed to Mangione pointed out that "the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy."

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The Maryland native's alleged motivations have stirred sympathy from many Americans fed up and suffering under the US' exploitative, profit-driven health insurance industry.

"We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it," Witty acknowledged in his op-ed.

"We understand and share the desire to build a health care system that works better for everyone. That is the purpose of our organization."

Comments are now closed on the article after more than 2,400 readers sent responses, mostly slamming the US' for-profit healthcare system and its pattern of denial.

"This is a self-serving essay that does nothing to address the real issues of healthcare in this nation and seeks to justify the financial waste incurred by health insurance companies while their goals are bottom line profits for the shareholders," one reader fumed.

Another commenter wrote, "As an outpatient MD, I can tell you that I know why United was the MOST profitable of all the health care companies – because it denied the most. United made me get authorization for cheap medications like ACE inhibitors, and tests like Ultrasounds. No other major insurer did that."

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"Mr. Witty, the money talks which is why you will not walk nor run to change a system that lines your pockets at the expensive of your paying customers," a third said.

UnitedHealthcare posted profits of $22 billion in 2023, as many Americans struggle to afford the medical care they need. Witty reportedly took home $23.5 million that same year, while Thompson got over $10 million.