 "Brian Thompson’s death and the message left at the scene have created an opportunity for many to vent their frustrations about nation's privatised and expensive health insurance companies. Image for Representation. Reuters")
When the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was gunned down in Manhattan Wednesday, the tragedy was expected to evoke sorrow and outrage.
Instead, it unleashed an avalanche of biting humour and scornful commentary over the death of the 50-year-old father of two.
A Facebook post mourning his loss, shared by UnitedHealth Group, racked up more than 71,000 laugh emojis as of Friday – dwarfing other interactions before the counter was disabled.
The aftermath here exposes the simmering anger, resentment, helplessness and frustration of millions of Americans with the US health insurance industry that serves as a gatekeeper to its $4.5 trillion health care system.
Here’s what we know.
A burst of anger
Brian Thompson’s death ignited a wave of fury on social media, with users directing their anger at health insurers over denied claims and alleged corporate greed.
Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA executive turned whistleblower, told USA Today, “I’ve been hearing for years now from people frustrated by denials or delays of care. This became an opportunity for people to vent and take out their anger against someone who just became known to them.”
People believe that even the words written on ammunition found at Thompson’s shooting scene — “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” — echoed tactics insurers use to avoid paying claims.
One social media user remarked, “CEOs are making money hand over fist—by DENYING care. I feel terrible for his family, but can’t say I’m surprised.”
Others fixated on the killer’s looks, dubbing him the “hot assassin” or comparing him to movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Timothee Chalamet.
Meanwhile, a young musician named Joe DeVito was going viral with a folk song titled “Deny, Defend, Depose,” a rallying cry against medical corporate greed, featuring sharp lyrics like, “If you ain’t coughing cash, then go cough in your basement.”
Even doctors on one of the internet’s largest forums for medical professionals joined the fray, posting satirical comments on the “medicine” subreddit that mimicked the jargon often found in insurance denial letters, such as “lack of prior authorisation” and “failure to prove medical necessity.”
For Tim Anderson, the tragedy brought back memories of his wife Mary, who died from ALS in 2022 after facing multiple coverage denials by UnitedHealthcare. “All of a sudden, I am fired up again,” he told AP.
Anderson said they couldn’t get coverage for machines to help his wife breathe or talk — toward the end, she communicated by blinking when he showed her pictures. The family had to rely on donations from a local ALS group, he said.
“The business model for insurance is don’t pay,” said Anderson, 67, of Centerville, Ohio. “When Mary could still talk, she said to me to keep fighting this,” he added. “It needs to be exposed.”
Why are people angry about insurance companies?
Universal healthcare is a standard in most developed nations, but in the US, coverage remains fragmented across private insurers, government programmes, and a significant uninsured population.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), or “Obamacare,” addressed some of the insurance system’s most anti-consumer practices issues like, requiring coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions.
Yet, gaps persist, leaving patients grappling with rising costs and complex hurdles like prior authorisations and limited doctor networks.
“Patients are already spending a lot of money on healthcare, and then they’re still facing problems with the service,” University of Pennsylvania researcher Michael Anne Kyle told AP.
What is UnitedHealthcare’s record on insurance claims?
UnitedHealthcare denies approximately one-third of all claims, according to research by ValuePenguin, making it the highest among insurance companies and double the industry average.
Anderson, whose wife faced multiple denials from UnitedHealthcare before her death, admitted his initial reaction to the CEO’s shooting was to question if it was linked to a coverage denial. “I definitely do not condone killing people,” he told AP, “but I wondered if somebody had a spouse whose coverage was denied.”
As the largest US insurer, UnitedHealthcare covers around 50 million people and reported $16.4 billion in profits in 2023. During that year, CEO Brian Thompson earned over $10 million in compensation that included base pay and stock options, sparking further criticism.
Hans Maristela, a California caregiver, echoed the public’s frustration. While he sympathised with Thompson’s family, he pointed out the disparity between the CEO’s lucrative pay and the financial burdens on patients. “Healthcare is a business, I understand, but the obsession with share price, with profit, has to be reevaluated,” he said.
With input from agencies