News Assassination of the United Healthcare CEO

[Second Summer]

On the assassination of the United Healthcare CEO​

On the one hand, there's the law which forbids killing people except in a very few situations, such as self defence. And Mr Thompson, the CEO, was a man with a working-class background who had worked himself up the ladder. He had a wife and children.

On the other hand, the law is far from perfect and isn't always on the side of what is ethically correct. United Healthcare made enormous profits from denying insurance claims from people who had paid their premiums and expected the company to honour their obligations. Mr Thompson seems to have personally been a champion of their practice of "deny, defend, delay" which has lead to thousands of personal bankruptcies, destroyed lives and early deaths.

In an ethical sense, can the killing be said to be an expression of class self-defence against the violence of the company?

I'm interested to hear everyone's thoughts.

For background:

Killing of Brian Thompson - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[shyvas]

The '3 D's' are also the title of a best seller explaining what your options are when insurance companies deny a claims.

The alleged murderer seems to have serious mental health issues. He had disappeared from Hawaï where he was living and had also
had some very serious health issues further to back surgery and was in chronic pain. His mum had put in a missing persons claim in San Francisco, only a few weeks prior to the murder of the CEO.

It makes us Europeans all the more grateful for our wonderful NHS.

To answer your last question ; No. There are many ways in which a citizen can challenge the legislation and killing is certainly not one of them.

‘Delay, Deny, Defend’ becomes Amazon bestseller after UnitedHealthcare CEO killed

The cryptic message found on the bullet casings at the scene of the Midtown murder could refer to the ‘the three D’s of insurance’ — deny, delay, and defend — which is also the title of a book critical of the insurance industry

www.independent.co.uk

The police are worried about all of the copycats coming out:

Lakeland woman accused of threatening ‘evil’ insurance company: ‘Delay, deny, depose. You people are next’

A Lakeland woman who police say was upset over a denied insurance claim was arrested after police say she made threats against Blue Cross BlueShield.

www.fox10phoenix.com

 

[PTree15]

I do not condone violence as a way to solve problems, but I understand where it's coming from. The U.S. health care system is reaching a tipping point, and people have had enough. This is also tied to the incredible wealth gap, which is getting larger and larger every year. So when you pay thousands of dollars a year between premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, being denied coverage for something you've paid for is incredibly frustrating. And it is bankrupting many Americans. I don't have a lot of sympathy for a man who built his wealth on the backs of consumers who were denied claims despite paying for insurance. A lot of these people possibly died waiting for care they couldn't get because of the greed of this company. And this company is just one of many. Unbridled capitalism doesn't work. It needs government regulation, but now people can't trust the government to do the right thing.

So people feel they have no recourse. They feel like their elected representatives (on both sides of the aisle) are in the pocket of major corporations, like the health care industry. Efforts to create a national not-for-profit health care system have failed because of the powerful insurance lobby. That industry is also down to a few major players, and that means no competition, so these companies know they can charge whatever they want for their products and services. The other major problem is the incredible cost of health care, regardless of insurance. It's insane. And forget legal recourse with the stacked U.S. Supreme Court, which is way more business-friendly than it has been previously.

I get that doing away with the private insurance model will be painful. A lot of lost jobs, etc. But we can't keep going in this direction, as I fear more violence will occur because our elected officials are too far from what most Americans deal with on a daily basis.

 

[Emma JC]

although I haven't been to a doctor (other than for covid shots) in decades I am grateful that it is included in our Canadian tax dollars and although it is not a perfect system I can't imagine living with the threat of illness causing bankruptcy hanging over my head - killing is definitely not the answer yet it seems it may be the one thing that puts the spotlight on the issue - my sympathies are with his family and I am also happy that the other CEOs that support this shameful practise are on edge and may reconsider their positions

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

This is one of those spotlight kind of things. Something happens and it shine a light on a problem.
Pretty sure help is NOT on its way.

I live in the US and I do have a good insurance plan. But it's expensive and I know that a lot of people here in the US can't afford it.

Lots of other countries have better systems. seems obvious that big changes need to be made.

 

[Second Summer]

To answer your last question ; No. There are many ways in which a citizen can challenge the legislation and killing is certainly not one of them.

Yes, you can challenge it, and many people have done so, but it hasn't helped. It seems as the corporate greed continues to increase, the insurance companies behave worse than ever towards their customers.

 

[silva]

And to further prove how our system screws the average American, the McDonalds employee who ratted him out not only isn't eligible for the reward money, but got fired for making a personal call on work hours!
Kinda sounds like all the trump voters, thinking they're more like the rich than anyone below them

 

[PTree15]

And to further prove how our system screws the average American, the McDonalds employee who ratted him out not only isn't eligible for the reward money, but got fired for making a personal call on work hours!
Kinda sounds like all the trump voters, thinking they're more like the rich than anyone below them

Unreal!! That makes me sick. I cannot stand how companies treat employees now. It has gotten worse and worse with each passing year. That wasn't a "personal call." It was a response to law enforcement pleas for help from the public in finding someone accused of shooting and killing someone else. God forbid a sighting happen on "company time." Eff McDonald's and all the other hideous companies that treat employees with such contempt.

 

[silva]

Unreal!! That makes me sick. I cannot stand how companies treat employees now. It has gotten worse and worse with each passing year. That wasn't a "personal call." It was a response to law enforcement pleas for help from the public in finding someone accused of shooting and killing someone else. God forbid a sighting happen on "company time." Eff McDonald's and all the other hideous companies that treat employees with such contempt.

Pretty sure it was due to that particular call, and all the backlash, and business it cost them, and not just policy!
I'd bet that called wishes they could take it back

 

[Brian W]

Yes, you can challenge it, and many people have done so, but it hasn't helped. It seems as the corporate greed continues to increase, the insurance companies behave worse than ever towards their customers.

That is the problem. If something desperately needs to change and all legal methods fail, what do you do?

 

[Lou]

I think it was on SNL that reported that after arrested a note was found where Luigi expressed anger at Corporate America.
Earlier that day he went to a Starbucks and a McDonalds.
"so maybe his greatest crime was hypocracy"

 

[Lou]

If something desperately needs to change and all legal methods fail, what do you do?

A. try try again.
B. give up
C. Shoot someone.
D. Write a book.

 

[Second Summer]

Mangione's so-called manifesto has been published online. Although, I don't think it's really meant to be a proper manifesto, just a brief written explanation of his reasoning. The mainstream media has already quoted from it, so I don't think I'm breaking any laws or could be seen as promoting violence by posting a link:

Exclusive: Luigi's Manifesto

Read the manifesto the media refused to publish

www.kenklippenstein.com

 

[shyvas]

LM has hired high-profile Manhattan attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo. He faces 2nd degree murder charges in New York.

Who is Karen Friedman Agnifilo? Top New York attorney Luigi Mangione retained

Mangione faces second-degree murder charge over shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

www.independent.co.uk

 

[shyvas]

The charges have been upted:

The man accused of killing an insurance firm chief in New York has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism.

Luigi Mangione charged with murder as an act of terrorism after healthcare boss shooting

The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's chief executive has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors are trying to bring him to a New York court from a Pennsylvania jail.

news.sky.com

 

[Second Summer]

The charges have been upted:

The man accused of killing an insurance firm chief in New York has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism.

Luigi Mangione charged with murder as an act of terrorism after healthcare boss shooting

The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare's chief executive has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors are trying to bring him to a New York court from a Pennsylvania jail.

news.sky.com

I suppose they are aiming to make an example out of him. Although, terrorism is probably the correct charge from the point of view of the law.

Thompson and his company were responsible for the deaths and suffering of thousands. But they had the law on their side.