The reaction to the targeted killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel early last Wednesday morning has been, to say the least, polarizing. Although Thompson, 50, was reportedly separated from his wife at the time of his murder, he leaves behind two children, a mother, two brothers, friends, and colleagues. His untimely death at the hands of a lone gunman is undeniably a tragedy.
However, a growing number of Americans have taken to social media to celebrate Thompson’s death, citing UnitedHealthcare’s record of denying healthcare claims. Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz has been among the most vocal. Just hours after the incident, Lorenz shared an article on BlueSky about a health insurance company that “would no longer cover anesthesia for the full duration of certain surgeries.” She captioned it: “And people wonder why we want these executives dead.”
Later, she posted: “People have very justified hatred toward insurance company CEOs because these executives are responsible for an unfathomable amount of death and suffering. As someone against death and suffering, I think it’s good to call out this broken system and the people in power who enable it.”
Lorenz also reposted a controversial BlueSky post from another user, which read, “hypothetically, would it be considered an actionable threat to start emailing other insurance CEOs a simple ‘you’re next’? completely unrelated to current events btw.”
On Twitter, she amplified several similar sentiments from like-minded users, sparking a heated discussion about the ethics of such reactions and the broader implications of targeting corporate executives in public discourse.
In response to the malevolence of the voices on social media and to an article published by the New Yorker titled The United Healthcare Shooting Was Inevitable, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) wrote on X: “The public execution of an innocent man and father of two is indefensible, not ‘inevitable.'” He was right.
Although the killer remains at large, bullet casings discovered at the crime scene were inscribed with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend,” a likely nod to the book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It, gives us a clue to his motive.
While the harsh and unyielding reactions to Thompson’s murder are troubling, this incident sheds light on the deep anger and frustration many Americans feel toward health insurers over denied claims and what they perceive as rampant corporate greed.
Earlier this year, I faced a similar frustration. I was scheduled for a painful dental procedure, only to be informed upon arrival that my insurance wouldn’t cover anesthesia. I was stunned. Although I paid out of pocket, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this expense should have been covered.
On another occasion, after my son’s nose was shattered in an ATV accident, our insurance company refused to cover corrective surgery. Determined to proceed anyway, I scheduled the surgery, and a nurse appealed the denial. Eventually, the insurer reversed its decision. This experience taught me that some companies deny claims initially, knowing many customers won’t fight back.
Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, I rarely thought about health insurance and seldom encountered issues. However, since its enactment in 2010, my premiums have risen sharply every year, even as deductibles increased and coverage diminished. Unfortunately, my experience is far from unique. In the X post below, entrepreneur and political activist Jeremy Kauffman provides a succinct explanation of the systemic problems exacerbated by Obamacare.
People are reaching a breaking point. Alongside the exorbitant premiums Americans already pay, the denial of coverage has become an increasingly pressing issue for many.
While the murder of a health insurance CEO—or even ten—won’t solve the problem, Thompson’s killing has undeniably brought this crisis into the spotlight. Let’s hope that instead of further dividing Americans, this tragic event will ignite a much-needed debate and ultimately lead to meaningful change in Washington.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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