Swiss Re boss sees “trust deficit” after killing in the USA
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The murder of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson in the US and sympathy for the crime are worrying signs for insurers, according to Swiss Re CEO Andreas Berger.
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“No matter which perspective you apply, this situation in the US is tragic. The cynical reactions show that there is a trust deficit,” Berger, who has been CEO of Swiss Re since April, told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
The murder of the head of the US health insurance group UnitedHealth, Brian Thompson, on a New York street on December 4 has triggered a debate in the US about the insurance business.
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Numerous people have expressed sympathy for the crime on social media. There is speculation that the arrested suspect, Luigi Mangione, may have acted out of anger at the behaviour of health insurers in the US.
Berger called for the issue to be taken seriously in the industry.
“The purpose of insurance is to help people at the moment they need it,” he told the Swiss paper.
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If claims are processed quickly and people are helped back on their feet quickly, “then there will be no negative customer reviews”. It must be clear what to expect in the event of a claim.
“If I realised that an insurance company was not trustworthy with its products and did not deliver the promised services, then I would have concerns,” said Berger.
As a reinsurer, Swiss Re insures portfolios and therefore often does not see what happens in individual cases and processes.
Translated from German by DeepL/sb
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