On Dec. 4, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot in Midtown Manhattan, and was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West Hospital hours later. The alleged killer, Luigi Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9, following a manhunt by authorities, who offered a $50,000 reward for information on the gunman. Mangione was then seen being led into a Pennsylvania courtroom, shouting that the case’s handing is an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” We see this as a reference to the extreme reactions of many to the death of a CEO, in contrast to innocent U.S civilians lives that are taken by gun violence.
This shocking display of violence has sparked a plethora of discourse regarding the American healthcare system, which seems to have contributed to Mangione’s motivations. While our staff does not condone violence, we simultaneously cannot ignore the damage done by UnitedHealthcare to many Americans. We find ourselves conflicted by the issue’s nuance, specifically Thompson’s “innocence,” as well as the legal system’s response to the murder.
Following his publicly-displayed court arrival, Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Angifilo, has denounced the emphasis on Mangione’s high-security transportation and treatment as “political fodder,” according to an article by ABC News. From Angifilo’s perspective, there is questioning if he is being treated normally, or if law enforcement’s approach is fueled by the class differences called into play between the murder of a CEO by your “average Joe.” We view the parade of law enforcement accompanying Mangione as an act of “show,” and in bad taste.
While official sentencing has not yet taken place, multiple news sources, including NBC New York, have published articles examining what could come for Mangione, which includes, possibly, the death penalty. That, on top of the public presentation of Mangione, raises a lot of questions. While we understand the situation’s high profile, we struggle to make sense of Mangione’s extreme treatment, especially given that we live in a country continuously facing mass gun violence displays without the same level of punishment.
According to BBC, his charge of murder through use of a firearm is what would allow for the death penalty as potential punishment. However, one major point of contention we have regarding the repercussions Mangione potentially faces is its comparison to that of mass shooters; criminals we feel commit far more heinous acts against far more innocent victims.
The terrorism charges being brought against Mangione are connected to an anti-terrorism law that was passed in New York six days after the Sept. 11 attacks. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that Mangione’s intent was to “sow terror.” We are concerned and confused as to why this attitude is being taken with Mangione when it was absent during the legal proceedings of mass shooting perpetrators such as Nikolas Cruz (Parkland) or Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook). We infer that the difference in these reactions could be the result of who the acts of violence affected.
In American politics and power structures, a CEO of a major institution tends to hold more power than a working class individual. Because of this, we unfortunately are not shocked by the legal system taking extreme measures to prevent future harm to powerful, and potentially corrupt individuals, while lacking the same response when it comes to fatalities of innocent civilians.
Additionally, we feel obligated to look at recent, questionable moves by UnitedHealthcare. Just over a year before the murder took place, a November 2023 lawsuit accused UnitedHealthcare of using the AI algorithm nH Predict to aid in its denying of coverage. The lawsuit claimed that nH Predict was designed to deny and override claims to elderly patients that had already been approved by their doctors. The suit also claimed the program had a near 90% error rate.
With those kinds of numbers, we find it difficult to fully believe the public’s best interests are at the heart of UnitedHealthcare and other healthcare corporations. Automation is efficient, but patient care should take priority, especially in an area where many consumers already face mountains of uncertainty and stress.
In 2024, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that healthcare is a large financial burden for the average American, leading to some individuals hesitating to seek care for necessary issues. A notable 61% of uninsured adults went completely without needed care due to the cost.
Unfortunately, these monetary concerns do not only apply to those without insurance. According to the same survey, nearly half (48%) of insured adults worry about being able to afford their monthly health insurance premiums. Their premiums are often rated as “fair” or “poor” in terms of monthly premium amount, as compared to out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits.
As young adults who are aging out of our guardians’ insurance policies and preparing to purchase our own, the ethical functions of corporations like UnitedHealthcare are difficult to ignore. These statistics and anger towards American healthcare raise questions regarding the ethical validity of our current system. Healthcare is meant to be a comfort in times of medical stress, yet, we wonder how that could possibly be the outcome of a system that offers little to no transparency, support or reliability to its patients.
