EXCLUSIVE: Insurance Bosses 'Running Scared' and Ramping up Armed 'Mercenary' Security After UnitedHealthcare CEO 'Payout Revenge' Assassination

Major US corporations are scrambling to employ $100,000 a month "armed to the teeth" ex-police and special forces personnel to guard their head honchos after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Cops believe he was shot in New York City in a "targeted attack" by a deranged assassin with a grudge against the firm, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

A law enforcement source revealed: "This attack was clearly carried out by someone who has had a bad experience with the firm, possibly trying to secure clash for a claim for themselves or a loved one and they had failed.

"That's made the boards of a lot of the top corporations and other healthcare providers very nervy. They are hiring the best guys they can to protect their human assets. And that doesn't come cheap with round-the-clock protection for just one person costing $100k a month.

"But that is for the best people. They are ex-army, FBI, or police with some having been mercenary hired guns in war zones but with these people on the ground it reduces the chance of another perp carrying out a similar attack on a senior business leader."

Two executive protection consultants are in disbelief about the 50-year-old's murder that took place on Wednesday morning outside a Manhattan hotel.

A former bodyguard for Thompson revealed he's stunned the CEO didn't have security when he was murdered in the early hours while walking to a work conference.

Philip Klein, who previously protected the boss back in the 2000s, admitted he was "shocked and baffled" over the murder and that he didn't have "a detail" with him.

He also admitted that Thompson should have been wearing a bullet-proof vest for extra protection.

Two security consultants, who did not work for Thompson, revealed their thoughts on the deadly attack.

Brittney Blair, who specializes in consulting executives about their personal security, admitted in an interview that she was "floored" Thompson was walking without bodyguards in New York City.

A former Secret Service agent, who now runs a private security firm, Joseph LaSorsa, revealed that intense security could cost around $100K a month — but it still might not have protected him from his brutal death

The killing has unleashed a wave of public feeling — exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness — from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants.

In particular, the words written on ammunition found at the shooting scene — "delay," "deny" and "depose" — echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers dodge claim payouts — amplified voices that have long been critical of the industry.

Thompson’s death and the message left at the scene have created an opportunity to vent their frustrations.

Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic, as police efforts to find the gunman keep the case in the news.

Have a tip? Send it to us! Email RadarOnline.com at tips@radaronline.com.