WHY THE HEALTH INSURANCE CEO WAS ASSASSINATED

Yesterday morning, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was assassinated outside his hotel in Midtown Manhattan by an unknown assailant.

Following thenews ofthe event, a post on Xitter (that’s pronounced “shitter”) wishing that the murderer would never be caught racked up 95,000 likes.

When word of the executive’s death hit the news, Americans reacted surprisingly. Social media was filled with jokes about Thompson’s pending hospital bills, and the tragedy of him not returning to his “mcmansion.”

People on both sides of the political aisle made comments like:

“We hope he was taken to an ER in network.”

“Thoughts and deductibles.”

“Unfortunately, my thoughts and prayers have a $1,500 deductible.”

“Sorry, but my fucks to give are out of network.”

The mood was summed up by the journalist Ken Klippenstein, who posted a chart on Xitter showing that UnitedHealthcare refuses to pay a larger percentage of users’ health-care bills than any other major insurer.

UnitedHealthcare is particularly infamous for its aggressive use of these tactics. Reporters at the health publication Stat documented the myriad ways UnitedHealthcare has extracted profits at the cost of patients’ lives. They found that the company has used AI algorithms to justify kicking elderly patients out of nursing homes, despite evidence some of those patients still needed round-the-clock care. Doctors who worked for United - which has also been buying doctors’ offices - told Stat the company applied pressure to see more patients and diagnose them with additional conditions, presumably to increase profits. United has also faced lawsuits from patients and from the federal government regarding its aggressive business tactics.

Brian Thompson was no innocent. ABC News reported that the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on the bullet casings found at the scene. This was not some random murder. It was a targeted assassination of an individual whose social position personified the degree of rage Americans feel over the deficiencies of the U.S. health-care system. Gallup polls show that only 31 percent of Americans have a positive view of the health-care insurance industry; only oil and gas, the federal government, and drug companies are lower.

The zeal of an overwhelming number of Americans for the death of an insurance executive demonstrates the insurance industry’s eagerness to save money by denying people care is a feature, not a bug, of this country’s system. Anger toward Thompson and other health-care CEO is the result of frustration with a system that causes real and preventable harm. Those cheering Thompson’s death are saying that taking away sick Americans’ pills or denying them needed surgeries is immoral and should be punished by death.

People do have a reason to be angry.

Roughly half of Americans report difficulty paying their health-care costs. A single denied insurance claim can push a patient into financial ruin. Health insurers are more clever at finding ways to deny claims. Until Congress intervened in 2020, patients were often saddled with unexpected bills for hospital visits because - unbeknownst to them - the doctor on rotation was out of their insurance network.

Less egregious maneuvers, such as step therapy, which require patients to try cheaper medications before the insurer will pay for more expensive therapies, can delay treatment needed to stave off suffering.

This morning, news spread regarding the announcement by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield that the company would no longer cover the full length of anesthesia during surgery if it exceeds a specific time limit, leading to outrage across social media, from average users to government officials.

Anthem said that starting on Feb. 1, 2025, it will begin using the CMS Physician Work Time values to "target the number of minutes reported for anesthesia services." If a claim is submitted where the reported time for anesthesia services exceeds the established number of minutes, it will be denied.

Anthem said in its announcement that it's possible to dispute claim denials using the process outlined in its provider manual. That probably enraged as many people as the original announcement did.

Dr. Donald E. Arnold, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists stated: “This is just the latest in a long line of appalling behavior by commercial health insurers looking to drive their profits up at the expense of patients and physicians providing essential care. It’s a cynical money grab by Anthem, designed to take advantage of the commitment anesthesiologists make thousands of times each day to provide their patients with expert, complete and safe anesthesia care. This egregious policy breaks the trust between Anthem and its policyholders who expect their health insurer to pay physicians for the entirety of the care they need.”

By the end of the day, Anthem announced they were reversing the new rule on anesthesia.

Thus, we can see that when one of their fellow pigs is assassinated, it can change the actions of the other pigs.

The recourse that unsatisfied Americans are supposed to have is to either switch insurers or elect politicians who will reform the current system. The ugly reaction to Thompson’s death shows how many people clearly feel that neither of those options works.

The media is all upset about this because the rich and the powerful are supposed to be untouchable.

They get to prey on us.

We are not allowed to prey on them.

Fuck. That. Shit. All. To. Hell!

It’s long past time to gt rid of this system. Every time I read about the complete fuckedupness of American healthcare, I thank god for the Veteran’s Administration and remind myself the year in hell was worth it.

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