I’m a capitalist – I’ve never believed that there’s something inherently wrong with CEOs or corporate executives in general. That being said, the healthcare/insurance industry in America is completely f–ked, with greedy, soulless executives raking in billions/millions from denying claims to people who simply want their insurance to cover their medical bills. Given all of that, it’s actually surprising that something like this hasn’t happened before. On Wednesday morning, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in Manhattan. The shooter is still at large.
The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was fatally shot in what police said appears to be a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack” outside the New York Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning. Brian Thompson, 50, was on his way to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference when the gunman approached from behind and “fired several rounds,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.
He was struck at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf, Tisch said, adding that the gunman was “lying in wait for several minutes. Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” she said.
Security video shows Thompson, dressed in a blue suit, walking down the fairly quiet street. The gunman approaches him from behind and opens fire, it shows.Thompson stumbles forward as a witness runs to safety. The gunman continues to fire as Thompson falls to the ground, the video shows. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the shooter arrived at the scene about five minutes before the shooting and fired at Thompson’s back.
“The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again,” he said. Three live 9 mm rounds and three discharged 9 mm shell casings were found at the scene, as well as a cellphone near the scene.Kenny reiterated that the shooting appears to have been a targeted attack.
“The motive for this murder is currently unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear the victim was specifically targeted,” he told reporters. “But at this point, we do not know why.”
Thompson, who lives in Minnesota, was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West. His wife, Paulette Thompson, said he had been receiving threats. “There had been some threats,” she told NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
Hours ago, the police released more information about the bullet casings – the shooter engraved the casings with three words: deny, defend, depose. So… it feels personal. My gut says that the shooter did not move around like a real hit man, but he did move around like a man with a cold-blooded plan. A plan involving a getaway on a bike (but not a Citibike). I’m including the wanted poster and the video below.
These are additional images of the suspect sought in connection to this morning's homicide. If you have any information about this incident, the suspect, or his location please contact @NYPDTips at 1(800)577-TIPS. https://t.co/rtfVynljXa pic.twitter.com/kUJr7l0nxZ
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 4, 2024
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, UnitedHealthcare images.
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- New York, NY – UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was tragically shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown early Wednesday morning. The incident, which occurred around 6:46 a.m., is being investigated as a potential targeted attack. Thompson was found unconscious and critically injured before being transported to Mount Sinai West hospital, where he later passed away. Authorities are working to uncover the motive behind the shocking event. Pictured: Police investigation BACKGRID USA 4 DECEMBER 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: BrosNYC / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was tragically shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown early Wednesday morning. The incident, which occurred around 6:46 a.m., is being investigated as a potential targeted attack. Thompson was found unconscious and critically injured before being transported to Mount Sinai West hospital, where he later passed away. Authorities are working to uncover the motive behind the shocking event. Pictured: Police investigation BACKGRID USA 4 DECEMBER 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: BrosNYC / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
His wife running to the press within hrs of his death? Not even she cares that he’s dead. Oh well.
The rest of that quote is “Ms. Thompson said that she could not ‘really give a thoughtful response right now’ as she had ‘just found this out’ and was ‘trying to console [her] children’.”
What? I got the impression this is information she gave the police. No where did anyone say she talked to the press. I did read he has young kids. So, be mad at what he did for a living, but give his family some space.
@bumblebee
His wife, Paulette Thompson, said he had been receiving threats. “There had been some threats,” she told NBC News
And nah. Eff that. I’m not giving space, compassion, thoughts or prayers to anyone complicit in his shit.
@fancypants I stand by what I said. How much consoling are you doing while talking to the press? She doesn’t care
@ Steph-United denies 32% of claims–32%!!!! As someone who has worked in insurance for 26 years, this is a shocking number even by today’s appalling industry standards.
Look, on a human level I can have empathy–he was a husband and a father and he leaves behind a grieving family. But honestly, when the algorithm has this story in my feed followed by a video of a Palestinian child cradling their dead sibling in what can only be described as a scene straight out of hell, I just can’t with the death of this rich CEO who has made his wealth off of predatory, unconscionable practices.
My sympathy will always be with the powerless over the powerful.
You know who isn’t sad? My sister. United refused to pay for her husband’s chemo because he had a rare form of cancer and the treatments were $40k each. For profit healthcare is the biggest scam ever perpetrated on the American public. There are some things only government can and should do. Medicare for all!
@ Megan–I can’t. The cruelty of a society that forces people who just received a cancer diagnosis to *also* have to worry about potential bankruptcy. As if the stress, fear, and uncertainty of the diagnosis isn’t enough….unreal.
@Kitten, the worst part is the cancer was likely caused by exposure to burn pits in Afghanistan. So many institutions failed their family. It’s heartbreaking for two little girls to grow up without their dad.
No one has sympathy for cartel bosses when they are gunned down, and I feel the same way about this man. Profiting off of human suffering and is so full of himself, he couldn’t be bothered to hire security.
@ Megan-Phew, I am so very sorry. Just devastating.
@Lemons Yeah, absolutely. I’ll keep my sympathy for people that deserve it like gender studies profs and abortion clinic staff who get death threats continuously. If you don’t want to get death threats, stop denying folks for coverage they’ve paid a lot for and don’t cap the number of hours under anesthesia you’ll cover. Like “thoughts and prayers y’all!”
@megan – so sorry for your loss.
Healthcare in America can bankrupt any family that isn’t rich. Basically anyone who makes less than Thompson did. Mid six figures can go bankrupt from healthcare.
@Steph this is very true. For a few years I have been throwing as much money as I can into our HSA and not spending it. Hopefully saving it for retirement and not for some medical condition that my insurance decides not to cover.
His family are now the beneficiaries of generational wealth. That wealth was obtained from the extremely high rate of not only denied claims, but also denied authorizations for desperately needed medical treatment of patients.
Don’t delude yourself that this man was unaware of the medical policies that UHC had/has enacted that result in all of these denials. He and by extension his family absolutely profited off the denial of care up to the death of patients in order to get rich.
It is disgusting and anyone who profits from insurance that is for profit is filth.
*edited for spelling
@ Megan– Was your BIL active military or a contractor? The PACT act (passed a few years ago) really broadened access to benefits for diseases/deaths of veterans related to the burn pits. If your sister has not remarried and/or if their kids are under 18, your sis should apply for VA benefits (sorry if you’ve heard that a million times)
That is ridiculous. Journalists sneak comments from people all the time when they are in shock right after something happens. Not everyone has the clear mind to say no comment or to hang up. She did not run to the press, the press ran to her.
C’mon. NBC or someone called her on the phone — likely when she was in shock — and she mumbled out some stuff and then got off the phone. She didn’t RUN to the press.
That was my impression. The interview aired as I was getting ready this am so I only heard it. The wife’s voice was cracking and she could barely put 2 words together as she was so overcome by what I identified as grief. The wife ended the interview and walked away.
This person did not operate for the benefit of society, only for other rich guys like himself.
Why is it that UHC denies a third of claims yet pays their CEOs millions plus bonuses? That’s money that should be going to the people who pay for their healthcare coverage, not “profit” to be disbursed to executives.
Not saying his assassination was justified, not saying that at all. But American society is increasingly a place where oligarchs flourish while everyone else struggles. And who needs pitchforks when guns are so easily available.
Given how frequently ex (and sometimes current) employees seem to go to workplaces and shoot colleagues/bosses my immediate assumption was that this is linked to a medical claim.
Healthcare for profit is horrifying.
The US health care system is something that those of us outside of the US cannot understand. Like school shootings, the electoral college, and how race seems to be part of every discourse, it is a uniquely American tragedy.
Everyone agrees that it is a scourge, yet no one does anything about it.
Too much money involved. Extremely complicated. Lobbyists at all levels.
To be fair, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are also charging exorbitant prices to insurance companies as well. I worked at a clinic while in school where they just doubled prices on medications just because they “hadn’t in a few years”. Hospitals being purchased by venture capitalists looking for as much money as possible doesn’t help either.
I truly do hope this will shake something up.
@tursitops
Every single one of those systems you mentioned are horrible. Everytime we to change it we lose. It’s maddening. Where are you located? Do you have universal healthcare?
This. We live in South America because my health insurance in NYC in 2020 cost 60k not including mental health which is not covered
More Americans and even Canadians are coming down here for medical tourism. We have resources and we were crippled by a diagnosis.
We live in a gorgeous house and have a pool and my health insurance has doubled to 1k a month.
Very well said and sadly, very true. Everyone knows this medical industry is shit and people are dying. The powers that be continue to place money over life, as per this last election result. This country is broken.
I argue on reddit all the time about Healthcare in the US with Canadians. I am in Canada now and save thousands per year(dual citizen). Canadians do not seem to want to believe that the average person can go broke form healthcare or that it is as bad as it really is. I have a friend now in NC her husband got into a car accident two years ago, TBI which messed with his short term memory, they have two teenage sons and are down to one income. She has done several gofundmes for experimental treatments for him. Another friend can’t afford a cpap machine because after insurance, it will still cost him 5k!!
I live in Canada and years ago, needed surgery to repair a severed ACL. I injured myself in the first week of January (out of town). When I got home, about a week later, went to a clinic and they diagnosed it and suggested an MRI and surgery. Got the MRI in April, and had the option of surgery in the summer or the fall. I chose the fall. My American cousin is a radiologist and was sneering at the fact I didn’t have my surgery for 9 months (could have been six, my choice). I replied that the injury hadn’t really hampered me other than not being able to run at all, and that I walked out of all the hospital visits and surgery owing absolutely nothing. My orthopedic surgeon works with major sports teams, so I wasn’t getting subpar care. It just took longer than it would have in the US. Our healthcare system has its flaws, but it also has a lot of benefits.
That was my thought. Someone whose wife or child died and UHC denied coverage for something. I’m in the insurance biz and I don’t like UHC either. But i absolutely do not condone shooting the CEO. I’m not glad he’s dead.
The only amusing part of this case is that when it comes down to figuring out who would have a motive, you’d have a list in the hundreds of thousands at least, maybe a million.
I love how no one is coming forth with stories saying he was a good guy, other than the wife who hasn’t lived with him for years. Maintaining separate homes in Maple Grove isn’t cheap.
I know two wrongs don’t make a right, but I’m pretty confident there is a shocking health insurance coverage denial behind this incident, and maybe insurance companies should take some notice. I’m sure everyone saw that BCBS (my insurance coverage provider!!) is now no longer going to cover anesthesia for the entire length of surgeries. Can’t really make this stuff up. I don’t have a problem with people making money either, but you can’t continuously increase dividends without hurting people, it’s just not sustainable
My threads is blowing up with stories of denied coverage from united – things like “the hospital visit for my son after he had heart surgery was not medically necessary” etc.
No, two wrongs dont make a right and being gunned down in NYC was not the answer. but like you said, I’m sure there is a shocking denial behind this.
Insurance companies can’t keep nickel and diming people over their lives and their children’s lives and not expect there to be a breaking point.
For BCBS, its only in some states (I think NY, CT and maybe KY?) and I expect the policy is going to be changed pretty quickly. If I’m in surgery, I don’t have a say for how long the surgery goes, or whether something goes wrong and I need to be out longer, or whatever. Its not like I can set an alarm clock and then tell the anesthesiologist to wake me up after X time because I can’t pay out of pocket. it really is outrageous and the timing of the announcement was pretty bad.
I just reread my comment and want to emphasize that I didn’t mean I thought getting shot was right. I was thinking more along the lines of, this country has completely unregulated access to guns and desperate people will do desperate things. I mean, I live in fear of being screwed by an unexpected health issue and crooked bankers f***ing up my retirement, but I’m a basically reasonable person. The last few years showed that there are so many NOT basically reasonable people out there
BCBS is in Massachusetts too. I was on it before I switched to MGB through my husband’s job. BCBS was AWFUL–every year they would dramatically increase the co-pays and lower the limits, increase the deductible etc.
@ Manda-Very well-said and it might not even seem unreasonable to them, ya know? We’ll have to wait for the full story but it feels like someone may have reached their breaking point which is relatable to most of us, even if the resulting action is not. The raw capitalism and brutality that is American society is not for the faint of heart.
@Kitten its not every BCBS at this point. Just New York, CT and Missouri (I double checked, Kentucky was incorrect.) But I’m sure they will all follow suit if they can get away with this. I have BCBS and its excellent coverage but so much depends on your particular plan.
@Manda I didn’t think you thought that and I dont think anyone else did! Its like you said, “desperate people will do desperate things.”
Maybe we’ll find out that this is part of some corporate takeover or something, but right now its not looking that way.
Oh I see what you’re saying, Becks–BCBS denies anesthesia coverage but *only* in certain states? LAWDY. What an insane “healthcare” system we have smdh…
BCBS isn’t one big homogenous entity, it’s very much like separate corporations from state to state, or like how there are different laws in different states. The doctors group I go to would drop BCBS in a hot minute if it interfered with anesthesia.
G*ddamn. I hadn’t heard that. That is so freaking cold. So those who can’t afford will be forced to suffer or go into huge medical debt.
Murder is inexcusable. But so is greed like this.
👆 Says it all.
Seems to me we could consider the medical insurance company is also guilty of murder. Suffer or huge debt. Hmm. I don’t want to suffer. I can’t afford huge debt. So what then? I’m dead, but before I’m dead, I get to be in agonizing pain and suffering? That murders the spirit of the person. And no dignity given. Apparently the soul of the insurance companies is already dead.
Capitalism without a conscience is an obscenity.
Prisons and health care should NEVER be for profit.
One thing is for sure, do not expect any improvements for the next four years with a MAGA trifecta of total incompetence at every level.
50% of cancer patients go into debt. My Dad, with both medicare and his own private insurance, depleted his savings. It’s vile, and he had standard treatments with a treatable cancer, nothing exotic.
Funny how everyone’s first thought in hearing the news was welp that’s what you insurance folk deserve. Wrong yes but so very understandable.
That is my insurance as well. Absolute greed.
I have a different insurance but I just went through a horribly stressful situation where my inpatient hospital bill of $40,000 was denied twice for being “Not medically necessary,.” The kicker? My insurance was approving my stay in the hospital on a weekly basis while I was in there. They sent the approvals in writing, Thankfully the hospital advocated for me and we won but yeah…I was having panic attacks. I have a 3 year old to provide for and I was almost charged close to my entire year’s salary. I thought I was going to be in debt for the rest of my life and not be able to provide for my daughter.
I’ve also never had an anesthesia bill that wasn’t denied first because “the provider was out of network.” In NY where I live, we are protected if we can’t choose who the anesthesiologist is. They know this but they try to get you to pay anyway. Thankfully I am cognizant and smart enough to look up my state’s laws and I was able to appeal and win but these companies depend on people not doing the legwork and advocating for themselves.
So far, it’s just Anthem BCBS in NY, CT, and I think Missouri or mississippi?
Regardless, it’s horrifying.
Did you also see that Anthem BCBS is also LIMITING anesthesia time? This gem dropped w/in an hr or so of this shooting. INSURANCE companies will determine how long an operation should take, say, 2 hrs. If your surgery goes beyond that time limit, they will NOT pay an overage for that time. So let’s say your operation has complications, or for *whatever* reason, takes longer than the time limit your ins. co. says they’ll pay for. You will wake up to a bill for the “extra” time, which could run from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars for the “excess time” that isn’t covered.
Nice, hunh?
We literally are talking about it in this very comment thread….
I agree with you. A spouse or child died.
I’m afraid the only reaction to this is going to be for CEOs to hire security/more security. They won’t change their behavior or business model.
Exactly. They will not do a single thing to improve, only to make things worse so they can profit even more. They will just hold meetings in buildings they can land their helicopters on instead of using the sidewalks like the plebs. They would do well to remember who cooks and cleans for them…
BCBS backtracked as soon as the news broke about Thompson’s murder. I would imagine their execs read the room and are scared shitless they’ll be next.
“Plunder Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America” by Brendan Ballou, provides an insight into how devastating this form of malignant capitalism is through an examination of how these companies have infiltrated and monopolized not just health care, but nursing homes, housing, retail, finance, housing etc etc. I think it lays out some of the contributing factors to the erosion of people’s wellbeing, income and job stability and may have contributed to the increased anger, polarization and demagoguery. I am not sure if this were a case of private equity in health care, but this outcome isn’t surprising given the level of desperation and anger.
@Anonymous: Thanks so much for this book recommendation and summary. I’m going to check it out.
Unrelated but related, another interesting book is “Caste: The Origin of our Discontents” by Pulitzer Prize–winner Isabel Wilkerson. It’s a very different topic, but it takes a sociological look at how and why artificial hierarchies are established in America, mainly through a racial lens. However, the wanton squeeze that’s being put on people’s daily lives (like you said, in the erosion of people’s well-being) has similar roots; it’s all made up. Like you said, we don’t know what the case was in this crime, but creating a climate of desperation and anger is not a good idea.
My mom has Alzheimer’s and is in a memory care a facility. It is draining every penny of her savings, $10,000 a month, and when it runs out my sister and I will be on the hook. It is for profit and we can see they try to cut corners wherever possible, it’s despicable. They just notified us of an 8% increase. No increase in services, an increase just because they can. I don’t know how the average person can managed something as devastating as Alzheimer’s. We are about to keel over from the stress, everything feels so wrong.
@orangeowl18 when my mother depleted her savings she went into a state home
I had wanted to avoid that which is why she was in the for profit home. the for profit home looked nicer, more like a regular apartment situation. the state home looked like a hospital and I think that doesnt look good to families. however, the state home did everything for her and was so much better in every way that mattered. I am in PA. I hope that is an option for you where you are.
Hi Lisa, Thanks for your comment. We worry about “downgrading” our mom to a state type facility but it sounds like you had a good experience. Her current place does look more like a nice hotel or apartment complex, which is part of the reason we chose it. That is really encouraging you had a good experience at a place that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. The quality of care is what is most important, we know. It’s hard to imagine moving her when the move to her current place was so excruciatingly horrible but we will cross that bridge if and when we come to it and consider other options. Best to you.
@orangeowl18 – the state home is so much better. the care was totally comprehensive. she was in PT/occupational therapy, she saw a dentist, eye dr, ear exam, even treatment for dry skin. every single thing was included. everyone was an RN or otherwise trained professional. none of these things were true at the for profit home. it made me realize what I was paying for was the semblance of normalcy. when I toured the one that was for profit, a local celebrity multi millionaire was living there and I was like oh this is a good endorsement, lol. her mom was 10k per mo 2 yrs before covid and 12 k right before covid.
the paperwork to get her into the state home was a lot so I hired an eldercare attorney to do it. the eldercare attorney is expensive but less than 1 mo of the room at the expensive place and so it was worth it. if I had tried it on my own she may have ended up in my house at least for a little bit. the eldercare attorney makes it so much easier. best of luck to you
@orangeowl18 – we are in the exact same situation. my dad’s cancer treatments depleted all of his savings (and did not save him, in part I think because of the extreme stress of knowing that his care was leaving his kids with nothing) and now mom’s care is eating away what remaned of their investments and the proceeds from the sale of their home. We know she will have to be moved to a state facility when her money runs out because we kids can’t afford 12k/month. I went back to work to try to keep up and contribute but can’t make/save that much, and then it comes out of my retirement savings. my parents had good jobs, were savers and lived modestly and they will pass nothing to their kids.
Private equity is a bane of our society. They truly make our lives worse to ensure that a few profit.
I feel bad for this guy’s wife and kids. But not sympathetic to the health insurance industry that created this. It’s always been insane to me that office workers decide the medical care doctors can give patients.
💯
I feel the same amount of sympathy they did for people’s sick and dying spouses and children, which is none.
I want to make it clear that I don’t condone this murder and condolences to his family. But I hope this incident sparks genuine debate about healthcare in the US.
Yesterday BCBS Anthem stated they will only cover Anesthesia for procedures for a preset amount of time…after that time period expires…the patient will be financially responsible for the Anesthesia & Anesthesiologist…one of the MOST expensive Specialist in healtcare….and I can ASSURE you by 2026 this inhumanity will be SOP for ALL managed healthcare groups…
That’s my response to this story🤬😭
Gail Boudreaux is the President and CEO of Anthem, Inc. Kim Keck is the CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield. In case anyone was curious.
“Yesterday BCBS Anthem stated they will only cover Anesthesia for procedures for a preset amount of time…after that time period expires…the patient will be financially responsible for the Anesthesia & Anesthesiologist”
Makes me wonder if it will be a situation of “standard gall bladder removal should only take an hour, so we will only cover the hour” and then if anything goes wrong /there are complications and it takes another 45 minutes, the patient wakes up and finds they are “surprise!!!!” paying for the 45 minutes. OR if it will be like “most gall bladder removals take an hour so even if YOUR situation is different and your surgeon wants to use a procedure that takes two hours, we are still only paying for an hour of anesthesia”. Either way is horrible. The latter might make people refrain from getting surgeries. The former might make surgeons rush, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my surgeon worried about the clock more than my surgical needs.
As an employee of UHC, this is devastating. Despite the valid criticisms around healthcare and health insurance in our country, he gave the impression that he cared. He wasn’t a CEO that sat in an ivory tower and was unseen. He was present, engaging, and put himself in front of employees on a regular basis. My condolences to his family.
My guess is this attack wasn’t personal per se. He was killed as a result of anger at United, not because of who he was as a person. But the investigation may prove me wrong there.
I’m on Medicare and UHC is my Medicare Advantage provider. I’m very happy with them. I’ve used several others. UHC is better than many. They haven’t denied claims. My prescriptions are covered and in some cases FREE. I had switched to another provider for a couple of months and it was so bad I ran back to UHC.
I am so sorry this happened to him.
That may be true for you but its not true for everyone. I have never had an insurance claim denied in my life but I know it happens at an alarming rate.
I recently met a retired UHC executive. He got a $20 million buy out. That would have covered a lot of cancer treatments.
My 96-year old great-aunt has the same coverage as you do and has never had a problem in all her years. Maybe it’s because of the Medicare part of the equation?
UHC is at the forefront of using AI to deny claims. Their AI was found to deny claims with a 90% error rate, which they knew about the error rate. And they continue using it because I bet they make an obscene amount of money from just refusing to provide the services ppl are paying for. Glad you’ve really liked them, I guess?
I’m in medicine and UHC is the worst insurance company for coverage denials and delays. In addition to the publicly available news coverage, I’ve heard this from colleagues all over the country and many facilities don’t take it as a result.
Medicare advantage plans are also terrible. They will cover the small things but tend to deny needed major services like rehabilitation stays. Many of them also strive to make their patients look sicker than they actually are so they can get more money from Medicare to pay for care. They are required to provide all the same services that Medicare would provide, but in reality they commonly deny and delay coverage In order to maximize profits as they are not required to spend all the money Medicare gives them. The delays are a big deal, because they tax a medical system that is already bursting at the seams. Most medical offices simply do not have the resources to handle their 32% claim rejection rate, which is higher in some critical areas like cancer & rehabilitation care.
Wall Street journal published a piece about how many people switch back to Medicare at the end of their lives due to coverage denials and delays by Medicare advantage plans. Unfortunately, nobody tells people that if they choose advantage and decided to switch back to straight Medicare, In all but for states they will be unable to get a supplement as they won’t make it through underwriting due to pre-existing conditions. Four states are required to offer a supplement, but not the same supplemental plan or benefits that a new Medicare member would get. So then they either have to stay with advantage or switch to straight Medicare and pay the 20% coinsurance, which may be impossible for many older people on fixed incomes.
This details a UHC Medicare advantage bad practice. Maybe not an issue for you If have not needed huge ticket items.
https://www.newsweek.com/united-healthcare-ceo-shooting-ai-lawsuit-1996266
I’m sorry that this is hitting you hard but I also think that the impression he gave you may not have been who he actually was. The insider trading accusation certainly does not speak to a man of strong morals.
I have an acquaintance who used to work for the Trump organization many years ago who said Donald Trump was charismatic, not insane, and interacted with his employees. He was shocked at what Trump turned out to really be. I am sorry this has shaken you, I can’t imagine it wouldn’t. But yeah. What Kitten said.
Sorry, no. Putting himself “in front of employees” means nothing. It certainly doesn’t mean he actually cared, just that he feigned caring. I work in healthcare also, though not on the insurance side, and executives do sometimes talk to the staff. BFD. They don’t know anyone’s name or pay them appropriately.
If he had ethics and actually cared, then he would not have sold $15 MILLION worth of shares right before a federal antitrust probe went public against UHC.
A coworkers sister reported to him. They’re all devastated.
Right now my husband has stage 4 cancer and is hospitalized and has throat sores and UHC is denying him more than one Ensure a day!
Healthcare in this country is a tragedy and people have guns and are devastated financially and emotionally every second by these predatory companies. Fuck these CEOs making billions off sick people.
“Fuck these CEOs making billions off sick people.”
No one needs to make billions. That is it right there. These companies make a profit by denying people NEEDED care, and their high ranking execs make SO MUCH MONEY. It’s disgusting.
💔 I’m sorry. That is so cruel.
An impression of caring is just not enough. between his company’s known high denial rate and being part of the group that sold off stock because an investigation was starting says more than being a nice guy ever can.
Initially, I felt very sorry for the CEO who was shot. Then, I read this article about how United Healthcare systematically denied coverage for another member. They are evil, greedy and the RN who denied life- saving treatments? She shouldn’t be an RN anymore. I think we will find out the shooter had a loved one who died because of UHC.
https://www.propublica.org/article/unitedhealth-healthcare-insurance-denial-ulcerative-colitis
That article makes me so angry I can barely see straight. The young man in this article is “lucky” that he had parents uniquely positioned to get attention to his case – though from what I gather it still isn’t resolved! Others in his position would be completely powerless against the Big Healthcare machine.
Unchecked capitalism is what has created the anger for a large majority of people and the reactions to this killing show that something has shifted.
With another rich grifter headed to take over things it will only get worse.
This. People are just fucking sick of it; sick of feeling powerless and beholden to these greedy corporations who incessantly put profits over people.
In a just world the big corps would see the cold indifference from the public and do some self-reflecting, maybe change their business practices. But alas, this incident will probably just provoke more CEOs to increase their personal security. Sigh….
And so the era of Pluto in Aquarius begins.
Last time it was like this we had the American and French Revolutions. Buckle up folks!!!
UnitedHealthCare is headquartered here in Minnesota which is why Thompson lives in Minnesota. It’s one of the largest employers in the state since it takes a lot of people to figure out ways to deny needed coverage I guess. Thompson raked in millions as CEO every year. All that said, I don’t condone anyone gunning people down on the street for any reason, just so we’re clear about that. However, I think our society is taking a very dark turn these days. We now have our very own oligarchs running the show. People who feel aggrieved will be more likely to turn to violence to settle scores and right wrongs.
The healthcare motive is too obvious. I think it’s a red herring, especially with the suggestions that this was a skilled shooter and using a silencer.
That being said, if you choose to run one of these blood sucking companies and profit off the bodies of your fellow citizens whose deaths you refused to prevent, you live by the sword, die by the sword.
The CEO was also being investigated for insider trading. While initially I thought the shooting was motivated by rage over medical care being denied, I now think it was related to his legal issues. Per the BBC – “Mr Thompson had been facing insider trading allegations. A class-action lawsuit filed by a pension fund in May 2024 alleged that Mr Thompson sold $15m of his UnitedHealth shares when he knew that the company was under investigation by the US Department of Justice.”
Lots of people, lots of motives.
Thanks, @megs283, that’s my take, too. Insider trading — could one of the execs be singing like a canary to the DOJ and ratting out others? Agree, lots of motives for this murder.
I agree somewhat, but you don’t have to be a “skilled shooter” to obtain a silencer and shoot someone in the back from 10 feet away.
Yeah, but the shooter dislodged a jammed weapon and then kept firing, on the spot. That’s not an amateur.
I agree. Not an amateur but not a professional hit man either. Dealing with a jammed gun under stress then continuing to fire indicates he has done this before; firing range experience? Ex military? Ex cop? Using a silencer is not something a target practice guy knows how to do.
I’m also thinking there could be many possible reasons for this murder, though as a UHC subscriber myself the “loved one was denied coverage and died” angle was the very first one I thought of. Hoping that they catch the shooter alive so we can get some answers
My dad is convinced it’s someone ex-military. He is ex-military himself and could only articulate that it was something about the shooting that made him think that. His assumption is that person lost a beloved family member and then lost it.
After reading horror story after horror story about denied medical claims that caused millions of regular Americans to literally die or go bankrupt because UHC’s greed for profit is WAY more chilling than what happened to this guy. I mean, I’m sorry it happened, but I’m not surprised.
So sorry, but my thoughts and prayers are out of network.
I haven’t reached my tots and pears deductible yet.
Two things can be true at once: this is awful for his family and murdering him won’t solve our screwed up health care and the model of healthcare as profit rather than a fundamental human right.
Also, I was once told by my health insurance that “fertility was a choice – like a breast augmentation” when I was trying to solve lifelong fertility issues to have a child.
Wow, how callous. To be clear, I mean what your health insurance company said to you.
Your claim for “thoughts and prayers” has been denied due to lack of prior authorization
COMMENT OF THE DAY
They reported this as a healthcare provider CEO being murdered in front of hos hotel in NYC…I got the nuance (what his company does in providing the healthcare) from my friends. Murder is wrong, his included. His company is also complicit in denying healthcare and he profited from that, so this should be a wakeup call to the industry.
Capitalism kills.
“Hours ago, the police released more information about the bullet casings – the shooter engraved the casings with three words: deny, defend, depose.“
Deny the claim
Defend the lawsuit
Depose the patient
This sounds like someone who is very familiar with how these insurance companies operate.
As someone who works in healthcare I see all the creative ways Payers get out of paying claims. It’s more infuriating when they deny certain chemotherapy treatments.
Yeah I saw that but I could also see how those three words could relate to a DOJ investigation into insider trading too.
We know that it’s a pro hit so I think people are gravitating to it being orchestrated by someone with wealth. But I could see someone who had a claim denied that resulted in the loss of a loved one hiring a hit man, too. The claim could have cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt but they still might have $40K (or whatever the going rate is–not gonna google lol) for a hit man.
US healthcare system is wild. I’m not saying it’s perfect in the UK by any means but I get the treatment I need and I’m not scared of medical debt.
Free at the point of use healthcare should be a human right.
US healthcare system is atrocious. I pay $230 per pay period to cover my family of 4. That’s just to have insurance. God forbid you use it. Not only do they deny certain treatments. They also deny prescriptions when they feel like it
We pay 2K per month for our family of two. 7k deductible. Cheapest available plan from our insurer.
Wow Luna… I guess I should count myself fortunate. I pay just under $500 per month for our family of 4. Our deductible is $4,000 and my employer pays $2,000 of that.
I have a friend in NC she and her family go without healthcare because it would be $1000 per month for her and her two sons, $1500 a month if she added her husband. She said she’d rather take the risk and save the money for her kids. They are one accident away from devastation.
I’ve also seen they allegedly used AI to deny and at one point it had a 90% error rate
https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/608/
And on the very same day, Blue Cross Blue Shield in NY, Connecticut and Missouri said that they will now deny coverage of anesthesia if they decide that it went past the amount of time they think a surgery should take. Complications in surgery? It’s all your fault and you’re going bankrupt. The CEO of UHC was murdered and they still went forward with announcing this. Read the room, you horrific people.
Yup. That is my insurance and I live in Connecticut.
I’m so sorry, Tate. That is awful. I am hopeful that this will go away with a lawsuit because this is absolutely insane and cruel.
Thanks Sue. I just saw on my local news that Anthem is backing off and it won’t be implemented in Connecticut. I hope the same happens in the other two states Anthem was targeting.
They also backed off in NY after Governor Hochul pitched a fit.
To paraphrase Chris Rock: I don’t condone this….but I understand.
I was wondering if the breaking point was coming. It likely is. I honestly expect to see a lot more of this sort of thing over the next few years. Wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.
class war.
Terrible situation. But this has happened before. To the medical providers trying to get things approved. Doctors have been gunned down by angry patients when treatment requests were denied. Healthcare should NOT be a for profit endeavor!
Nobody should be gunned down in the street, no matter who they are.
No they shouldn’t but I also understand the lack of empathy in many comments. These greedy insurance CEO’s play with our lives everyday. They deny needed medical intervention because it makes them more money. They don’t care if we live or die due to their never ending need for more money.
Something I read a few weeks ago has stuck with me:
“It’s not that we can’t provide for the poor, it’s that we can’t satisfy the rich.”
Truer words don’t exist.
@Tate, exactly. They make calculations about how much it will cost to keep people alive and literally give a thumbs up or thumbs down every day based on how someone’s continued survival will impact their stock options. The existence of us ordinary people is like that of ants to them. They will squash us and think nothing of it. I have no empathy for them.
Yet people are–every fucking day in this country–and most of the time we don’t spend a second to care, particularly if it occurred in a predominantly black neighborhood. The contrast is really something, ain’t it?
Exactly, thank you.
Right after covering this shooting GMA reported on the shooting of two kindergartners at school in CA, just north of Sacramento (they’re in the hospital now). Who gets more coverage, this guy or the children?
THIS. Said the same thing further down, before all of the comments had been published. The contrast is disgusting.
@Beanie Bean, sadly, I read your comment about the kindergartners, and my first thought was that I hope they’ll be okay. My second was that I hope they have good insurance.
The values that run this country are not supporting our well-being, even when our money is being used to support those values.
Nobody should be denied healthcare. Especially when they paid tens of thousands of dollars a year for coverage. And yet, thanks to UHC, lots of people die from manageable conditions and in more discomfort than necessary because their coverage was denied. I’ll save my sympathy and outrage for them
The three words on the casings are the title of a book on the corruption of insurance companies and how they kill people
The book was called “Delay, Deny, Defend” but yeah..coincidence? Red Herring? Or is it a direct message about his role in an abhorrent industry?
My tinfoil hat conspiracy theory is that someone who had a believable motive was somehow persuaded to do this by much more powerful people who have much larger motives.
Leaving a cell phone water bottle and candy wrapper behind and visiting a starbucks seem like odd choices
This feels like vigilante sh*t straight out of a movie or a novel. I’m sad he was gunned down–sad for his family. And that’s scary for it to happen in such a busy tourist area.
The insurance side of healthcare boggles my mind and infuriates me so much. I really wish there could be an overhaul of the system.
The apartment where the shooter was allegedly living is being searched so they must have a name.
The election changed me.
I look forward to trump voters getting what they voted for- their special needs children unable to get accommodations- b/c they voted for a guy that wants to end the dept of Education- in favor of throwing money at billionaires for “private” education- with a nazi agenda.
I look forward to trump voters mourning their daughters who died in pregnancy, unable to receive medical care due to an abortion ban they voted for.
This probably justifiable homicide. As the internet has been saying, empathy is not covered under my plan. Denied.
I never wanted to be this person. But 52% of white women who voted voting for trump- it broke my soul.
I won’t even get into the 36% of eligible voters who did not vote at all.
We deserve the hell we live in now.
If, after this, the next Dem candidate fails to run on anti-corruption message that specifically targets corporate greed, tax breaks for billionaires and the American wealth gap then God help us all.
“…run on anti-corruption message that specifically targets corporate greed, tax breaks for billionaires and the American wealth gap…”
MVP Harris run on that, still the majority of white people didn’t vote for her, and the past “no t-rumpers” didn’t vote for her, and some democrats stayed at home, didn’t vote. The hate for Black Women is deep in America.
I feel exactly the same way @ariel. Seeing our country elect a convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, pathological liar and raging narcissist who stole classified documents, and tried to subvert the will of the people in the 2020 election with a coup and fake elector scheme – I am out of fucks to give. Then to see these same people with their faux moral outrage over Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter…I can’t anymore.
Murder is never okay – but I have a feeling there is a dark story behind all of this. Our country is broken in so many fundamental ways.
Right there with you.
Feel the same way, I am committed to step up if I see any vulnerable person being disrespected or attacked by a MAGA. Who would like nothing more than to resurrect internment camps. I will fight those dragons always.
But for the rest I am just meh about. The country chose to vote for him over another competent female. You get what you get.
And they better not cry when Trump said he would end tax on overtime. By getting companies to end all overtime pay. With whatever loophole they come up with. Or was just another empty promise like getting Mexico to pay for the wall.
Deny and delay says it all. For those in the comments who have never fought for care, fought for coverage of an ambulance ($13,000), fought for rehab… consider yourselves blessed. Corporate greed is the guilty party but maybe there will be attention again to the absolutely barbaric state of insurance in this country. Murder isn’t the answer but I’d hazard a guess the person holding the gun believes UHC murdered their human, just slowly.
Health care is only going to get more expensive and difficult to obtain once the new administration follows through on their plan to axe Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). We are heading back to many people being uninsured and pre-existing conditions making it so coverage is denied even more frequently. I remember when mental health conditions, pregnancy and cancer could all be considered pre-existing if you had received treatment in the past. People had to pay out of pocket or go without care. The affordable care act improved things. That will all be reversed pretty quickly in 2025.
CEO targeted in a shooting is headlines and manhunts for days. The same shooting in a poor neighborhood is (shrug) barely a statistic.
Thank you. Like someone else said above, the contrast is stark.
THIS. PART.
He and his wife were separated. I doubt that she had anything to do with this, but their marital status will add a lot of stress to the situation for her. She will be investigated — closely.
I just saw this too. And they released another picture of the alleged shooter’s face this time uncovered standing at a counter of some kind (maybe a bus counter at Port Authority or at an airport). These pictures make the shooter look like a woman (definitely not the wife since she’s in Minnesota with the kids). However I’ve been reading on CNN the hostel employees who remember the suspected shooter staying there reported it was a man.
But yes I’m sure the wife will be investigated too given they were separated for several years.
When I read her comments just after the shooting that her husband had been getting threats, my cynical mind immediately went to a scenario where she had a boyfriend who did it and they set up the ‘threats.’ The words on the bullets speak to staging as well. But then, I’m very, very, very cynical about these things.
https://www.wfsb.com/2024/12/05/anthem-backtracks-anesthesiology-cap-policy-ct/
Anthem backing off in Connecticut
Visitor from Minnesota shot dead in premeditated public attack on street in NYC.
Victim is CEO of country’s largest health care company.
Killer is on camera, waiting for and shooting victim.
Killer then escapes on bicycle.
Shell casings have cryptic messages scratched into them, all starting with D.
CEO has been selling his stock in company.
If I haven’t already seen this on ‘LAW & ORDER,’ I will be, soon. Usually they have to add or change stuff to make it more sensational, but this one has it already.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/05/united-healthcare-shooting-manhunt
Much clearer pics. Looks like a young man.
Yes, he does look young. It’s a clear enough picture that I imagine anyone who knows him will recognize him. I really thought it would be an older man whose wife or child had been denied coverage.
That doesn’t look like the same person to me. Different coat, different backpack, eyes, etc.
As soon as Brian Thompson took over as CEO, profits skyrocketed while millions of people were denied health care coverage even though they’d been receiving it up until then. I saw an interview with a man who had treatment for severe ulcerative colitis/IBD for many years and was suddenly turned down, no reason given. He’s since had to pay close to $2 million for the drugs and treatment that keep him alive and has sued United Health Care, who rescinded the denial and he’s now receiving appropriate health care. I’m not saying he deserved to be gunned down but the DOJ is actively investigating multiple executives for unfairly restricting competitors, running a monopoly/insider trading scam and fraud.
The same DOJ the orange one is about to gut.
I guess he thought the leopards would never eat his face.
Annnnnnd Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield are reversing the policy on charging for anesthesia for extended time limits.
And not for one minute do I think they did the right thing for any moral reason. The CEO and Leadership were scared of getting a cap in their buttocks.
I am not saying this guy did the right thing. But I can understand it. Why do the little people have to always pay the price? While the elite are safe in their estates. Protected by money and security. People are fed up with the disparity of it all.
When mango was first elected 8 years ago, an elderly friend of mine said that unless the country balanced out wealth disparity and rural areas stopped dictating sexism, racism and homophobia to the populated areas that pay most of the taxes for the services that the rural areas disproportionately enjoy, the country was headed towards another civil war. Lort. I dread what is to come, but wealth has got to start being more fairly distributed. So many people are trapped without decent healthcare or stuck with policies with such high deductibles that they might as well be uninsured because of the money grabbing elite. How many walmart employees are under or uninsured (or rely on state funded Medicaid) while the Walton family has billions? The healthcare system is desperately broken without an emphasis on curing disease. Something has got to change and it will never change with the current political system in this country.
Actually, it might just be the current political system in this country that leads to significant change. What’s happening now is decreasing trust in government institutions, and creating a larger underclass of thwarted people — who may grow to feel that they have little or nothing left to lose. Hopelessness often undergirds revolutions.
Fun Fact: Thompson’s net worth when he died (including all assets) was 120 million dollars.
Also a cute thing that happens in the US is when insurance companies get into spats with providers over costs and families like mine, one federal govt employee and one state govt employee, end up paying out of pocket if you need anything for a time due to nothing other than a game of chicken for profit margins. This happened twice to us this year, and we still had to pay for insurance. It’s an evil scam and I’m not condoning what happened, but all the scary stories about American healthcare are true.
So I hope the other CEOs and senators and congresspeople are paying attention.
Now that this barrier has been broken this is going to happen more.
Maybe this will make them rethink getting rid of ACA where millions will lose coverage.
It only takes a couple of people out of those millions to come after the people responsible.
Maybe our gun policies will end up making healthcare better
Tots and Pears
$100 for a nurse to bring a baby from the nursery to its mother. Says it all about the terrible cost of healthcare in the US.