Brian Thompson's killing sparks outrage over state of US healthcare

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Thu 5 Dec 2024 16.50 EST
Last modified on Thu 5 Dec 2024 20.03 EST


In the aftermath of the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, while Thompson’s colleagues grieve and politicians decry his murder, some online discussion has shown little sympathy for Thompson or the industry he represented. Instead, social media has been in engulfed in expressions of anger at many Americans’ dire experiences at the hands of health insurance companies and outrage at the large profits that they generate.

That belies the shock also generated by the brutality of Thompson’s death. The killing appeared premeditated and calculated. A gunman dressed in black waited for Thompson outside the midtown Manhattan Hilton where he was scheduled to speak at an investor’s meeting, approached him from behind with a handgun fitted with a silencer, and shot and killed the executive, according to police. He fled on an ebike into Central Park. A manhunt is ongoing. The motive is unknown.

Andrew Witty, CEO of the parent company, UnitedHealth Group, called the attack “a terrible tragedy” in a message sent to company employees and shared with the Guardian. “Our hearts are with his family, especially his mom, his wife Paulie, his brother and his two boys, who lost a father today,” Witty said. Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic US Senator from Minnesota, described the killing as “a horrifying and shocking act of violence”.

But in contrast, one commenter on CNN’s Instagram post about Thompson’s death wrote: “Can’t find the room to care over my daughter’s $60,000 cancer treatment. Thoughts and prayers.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/05/unitedhealthcare-brian-thompson-killing-online-reaction

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Interesting quote from the article:

An expert in political violence told the Guardian he sees this as part of the US’s growing acceptance of violence as a way to settle civil disputes.

“Now the norms of violence are spreading into the commercial sector,” said Robert Pape, director of the University of Chicago’s project on security and threats. “That’s what I saw when I saw this.”

We are on the cusp of a very violent time in our history...

[BumRushDaShow]

4. It's cyclic for sure, when the disparities reach a certain level.

[PJMcK]

2. There's more to this story I think

This morning, we learned that Thompson has been secretly separated from his wife for several years and they live in different homes. There have been threats made against Thompson in the recent past. He was busted for DUI several years ago. His salary and bonus were $10 million last year. All of this information is just 24 hours.

There is more to this story and it's going to be messy, I think.

[24601]

5. I agree with you. It's just too convenient to lay blame on individuals or an organized group killing him over health

insurance policies.

I'll predict that the killing was planned & financed by someone who stood to gain personally and/or financially. The messages on the bullets may be just part of an attempt at misdirection.

[Lonestarblue]

3. Where is the rage coming from?

Voters knowingly voted for the guy who tried to end healthcare for 20 million people back in 2017 and plans to finish the job this time. Voters wanted a guy who would get rid of all regulations, including those on healthcare providers. I don’t recall which idiot Republican who said this but one not long ago said that people should have no health insurance and should just go back to paying their doctors directly because they just abuse their insurance. We will be lucky if any of us can afford healthcare by the time the Trump toadies are finished.

[4catsmom]

6. the biggest abusers of Medicare/Medicaid

are doctors and hospitals

[maxsolomon]

9. who else could abuse it?

not private insurers.

medicaire/medicaid isn't even the topic of the post you're responding to.

[Iggo]

7. Is that what you voted for?

Or are you one of the tens of millions who did not vote for that?

[PedroXimenez]

8. people have been tricked to blame the govt. for things that are corporations fault

there was recently a finance billionaire on Rogan claiming that the CFB is responsible for people getting de-banked. When in fact it's the opposite, the CFB limits the ability of banks to do that. Of course Rogan ate up his lies.

[LT Barclay]

10. A few years back someone on DU posted about someone using an EBT card and complaining about people on welfare

The government needs better PR. EBT cards should come in an envelope that says “this is your welfare benefit”

[BumRushDaShow]

13. The sad thing is

that under Democrats, there has been the desire to avoid stigmatizing and shaming and thus over the years you saw "Food Stamps" morph into "SNAP", along with the "EBT", and "Welfare" became "TANF", etc.

Yet the tonedeaf shameless GOP humpers always quick to blame someone else, did what came naturally and "assigned blame" while they benefited from it by ignorantly attempting to redefine it when they were the recipients.

It's like the "Obamacare" vs the "ACA" brouhaha.

[ck4829]

11. Kick

[C0RI0LANUS]

12. Whether there is more to this assassination than meets the eye remains to be seen. But people are still pissed at UHC.

Madame Defarge patiently knitting the names and crimes of the oligarchs in her quilt.