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The murder of Brian Thompson, United Healthcare CEO on the 4th of December was shocking. Shot in the back and the leg on his way to his company’s annual conference, Thompson could not have expected that this would be the last journey of his life. The gunman, still at large and suspected to be a trained professional, managed to fix a jam of his weapon, shoot and kill Thompson, and disappear into the city. There is currently a $50,000 reward for information from the FBI, in addition to the $10,000 already offered by police.
The shooter remains at large. One might expect the general public to be fearful but, in fact, the opposite has occurred and there is seemingly less sympathy for the man who has died than his attacker. Perhaps due to the words inscribed on bullet casings found at the scene: “Deny, Defend, Depose.” This is thought to be a parallel to the 2010 book by Jay M. Fienman titled Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It, dissecting the attitudes of insurance companies operating in the same way that United Healthcare does and how they justify withholding potentially life saving healthcare.
It is not unlikely that many Americans would empathise with this, as United Healthcare has been under scrutiny after a recent report revealed a significant increase in their already high denial rate, coinciding with their introduction of AI in judging cases, something a class action lawsuit against the company said was programmed to “systematically deny claims.” The very real consequences of such a decision mean that many people have had loved ones pass, not because there was nothing to be done, but because there was nothing executives such as Brian Thompson were willing to do.
Is it any wonder, then, that people refuse to mourn Thompson’s killing? The anger of the American public at the injustices of the healthcare system has seemingly been encapsulated by one man’s vigilante justice. An anger palpable enough that other Healthcare companies are taking photos and information about their own CEO’s off their websites for fear of similar events. There is no doubt that the shooter’s actions have caused shockwaves, even if he has so far evaded capture. Social media has been flooded with personal stories of loss at the hands of United Healthcare. People have had to grieve loved ones on such a scale that there seems to be no grief left.
CEO’s like Thompson are the faces behind these companies that have caused working people so much pain and it is likely the slogan “Deny, Defend, Depose” will not end with the shooter. Corporations are becoming less faceless, not through an effort to become more transparent by those involved, but through the vulnerability of individuals. Clearly, America’s public have a seething and justified resentment towards those in charge of exploiting their healthcare system. Brian Thompson’s shooting is a symptom of the disease that is afflicting America and a large portion of the Western world: seemingly untouchable billionaires. Responses from both corporations and people reflect one common denominator: things must change.
Image: Shooting of Brian Thompson CCTV // Public domain
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