Interestingly, not everyone is mourning the shooting death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Current Events :
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed last week in New York City in what police have called a “targeted” hit. Thompson was entering the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan around 6:45am last Wednesday when a gunman casually fired multiple rounds into his chest before escaping on a Citibike. Authorities have collected numerous photos of the gunman that were captured on surveillance cameras throughout the city, including one that showed the gunman likely fleeing the city via the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Following the shooting, UnitedHealthcare put out a statement on social media expressing their sadness for the loss of their chief executive officer, while offering sympathy to Thompson’s wife and children.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
Strangely, the response from tens of thousands of social media users caught company officials completely off guard.
According to The New York Times, UnitedHealthcare was forced to disable comments on their social media post after 77,000 people posted laughing emojis, some users celebrated Thompson’s death, and others offered support for his killer. Their reason: a complete rebuke of the insurance industry.
“Today I’m thinking about the time United Healthcare suddenly decided to stop paying for my chemotherapy and didn’t bother telling me, so the nurses had to tell me when I checked in at the cancer center for my next treatment,” posted disgruntled UnitedHealthcare customer Kendall Brown, who felt zero sympathy for Thompson’s death.
Today I’m thinking about the time United Healthcare suddenly decided to stop paying for my chemotherapy and didn’t bother telling me, so the nurses had to tell me when I checked in at the cancer center for my next treatment.
— Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown) December 4, 2024
Totally unrelated to any current news, of course.
“It’s extremely fucking funny that some of the same conservative assholes who gleefully oppose universal healthcare & believe disabled ppl like me aren’t ‘owed’ access to healthcare & should just die are now pearl-clutching in my mentions and demanding I respect human life,” she continued.
Jessica Alfano shared the story of the time her one-year-old daughter with a brain tumor needed emergency surgery at a hospital outside their home state. Sadly, UnitedHealthcare refused to approve the transfer via ambulance to New York City. To make matters worse, Alfano wasn’t allowed to drive her daughter to the hospital because the insurance company said they’d refuse coverage at the next hospital if they left on their own and did not arrive by ambulance.
“I vividly remember being on the phone with UnitedHealthcare for days and days — nine months pregnant about to give birth alone — while my other baby was sitting in a hospital room,” Alfano added.
“I wear leg braces and walk with crutches as a paraplegic and they tried to deny my new leg braces and only approve me a wheelchair. They wanted to take my ability to WALK away,” TikToker user @ChickWithSticks said.
“Perfectly healthy pregnancy, until it wasn’t,” Meagan Pitts shared. “NICU stay was covered by my insurance, the neonatologist group contracted by the NICU: Denied. I’m sorry, what?”
Another commenter wrote that her son was born with a congenital heart defect and needed open-heart surgery.
“My husband changed jobs & we switched to UHC,” she wrote. “They DENIED my son’s cath lab intervention!”
These are just a few of the responses to Thompson’s death before the company took the comments down.
So, what’s really going on here?
In a report from Yahoo! News, a family filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare claiming that Thompson installed a controversial AI algorithm that automatically denied insurance benefits to sick people. Reportedly, the algorithm, known as nH Predict, had a 90% error rate and refused life-saving medical care to children, the elderly, and those with chronic conditions in desperate need of medical attention.
Meanwhile, as Thompson denied insurance benefits to those most in need, he managed a portfolio that generated $74 billion in revenue during the most recent quarter and enjoyed an annual compensation package, including salary, bonuses, and stock options totaling $10.2 million.
So, if anyone is looking for a reason why Brian Thompson may have been murdered and why tens of thousands of people are celebrating his death, they may not need to look any further than a post from The American Prospect:
“Only about 50 million customers of America’s reigning medical monopoly might have a motive to exact revenge upon the UnitedHealthcare CEO.”
OK WASSUP! covers Current Events:
Why some may have wanted UnitedHealthcare CEO dead.
Associated Press: As large companies grapple with fears about safety in the aftermath of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday morning in Manhattan, recent investigations have indicated that UnitedHealthcare may have made its coverage policies and procedures more stringent during Thompson’s tenure. Observers have speculated as to whether the insurer’s policies may have been a motive in the tragic death of the Minnesota father of two boys. UnitedHealthcare, which insures more than 29 million Americans, and its parent company UnitedHealth Group, are no strangers to scrutiny. A ProPublica investigation published last month found UnitedHealthcare effectively culled or limited some therapy expenses using an algorithm, jeopardizing mental health coverage for many Americans. California, Massachusetts, and New York deemed the practice illegal. A Senate majority staff report released in October revealed that numerous insurers failed to cover the cost of care for older people who fell or had strokes. UnitedHealthcare… Read more »