CEO's Slaying In NYC Sparks Health Care Discussion

MIDTOWN, NY — The arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione and his subsequent charge with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week in Midtown has unleashed a torrent of opinions about the state of health insurance in the United States.

People posted their reactions while they combed through Mangione's digital footprint, which reveals an Ivy League background, a career in tech, a tanned six-pack, frat buddies, and a Good Reads profile — where he reviewed books he'd read, including the Unabomber's book, which he rated four out of five stars.

Several X (formerly Twitter) users, including @ProfYolonda, used their platforms to share their issues with UnitedHealthcare and the state of health insurance in general.

"@UHC denied my surgery two days before it was scheduled. I was in the hospital finance office in tears," @ProfYolonda wrote in a tweet that now has more than 86,000 likes, adding that she and her surgeon had to fight with the insurance company to get it approved. "So, while I'm not rejoicing about the UHC CEO being shot dead in the street, I'm not sad about it, either. People deserve better than the US health insurance industry, and chickens come home to roost."

On the popular Instagram account Humans of New York — which interviews and photographs New Yorkers walking on the street — a social worker weighed in on Monday.

"So many of the people I see who are homeless have similar stories: they got a debilitating illness, which caused them to go bankrupt, or get addicted to drugs. Meanwhile these health insurance companies are profiting from people not getting the care they need," the New Yorker said. "This is what happens when people aren’t being heard. The system isn’t working."

The Altoona McDonald's where an employee recognized Mangione and called the cops was flooded with one-star reviews on Google and Yelp Monday, several with jokes about how there are "rats" in the kitchen, according to several reports. As of Tuesday, both Google and Yelp have deleted the reviews.

Though it seems many of the posts online are valorizing the suspect, others say that the jokes are dehumanizing to the victim.

At a press conference on Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro criticized the people who had "looked to celebrate instead of condemning this killer."

"Brian Thompson was a father to two. He was a husband. And he was a friend to many. And yes he was the CEO of a health insurance company," Shapiro said. "In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint. I understand people have real frustration with our healthcare system, and I have worked to address that throughout my career."

The suspect is the cousin of a GOP Baltimore County Delegate Nino Mangione.

In a statement posted on X, the delegate said his family would pray for the family of Thompson.

"Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news."

UnitedHealthcare released an official statement about the murder when it first happened before the suspect was charged, saying that many people reached out to them with condolences.

"So many patients, consumers, health care professionals, associations, government officials and other caring people have taken time out of their day to reach out. We are thankful, even as we grieve," the company said.

"Our priorities are, first and foremost, supporting Brian’s family; ensuring the safety of our employees; and working with law enforcement to bring the perpetrator to justice," the company said. "We, at UnitedHealth Group, will continue to be there for those who depend upon us for their health care."

‘THESE PARASITES HAD IT COMING’

Police investigators continue to probe what potential role that Thompson’s career may have played in the shooter’s motive.

Notably, shell casings found near the scene were found inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” – which describe tactics common to the health care industry, critics say. The phrase also mirrors the title of a 2010 book on insurance claims, “Delay, Deny, Defend,” written by a professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School.

Friends have said that Mangione struggled with severe back pain, undergoing surgery for it last year.

The BBC reported that an account on Goodreads which matches Mangione’s name and photo lists two books about back pain, including “Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry.” He gave a high rating to the so-called “Unabomber manifesto” by Theodore Kaczynski.

At the time of his arrest, Mangione was found in possession of a handwritten document that “speaks to both his motivation and mindset,” police said.

Citing an unnamed law enforcement official, the Associated Press reported that the letter read: “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.”

“I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done,” the document reportedly said. “Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.”

The note also reportedly condemns companies that “continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.”

Several reporters asked about the document at Monday’s press conference in New York City, including if Thompson or any other people were specifically named.

“That document is currently in the possession of the Altoona Police Department as part of their investigation,” NYPD chief of detectives Joseph Kenny said.

“But just from briefly speaking with them, we don't think that there's any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America,” Kenny added.

Another reporter pointed out that a migrant teen was recently attacked and killed in the city’s financial district, asking if police have expended the same resources investigating both slayings.
“Any loss is a huge, huge loss,” Mayor Eric Adams replied. “But when you have a specifically targeted shooter, we didn't know if this person was going to carry out additional shootings … We knew we had to take him off the streets of the city.”

“So, the urgency was not so much that was he a CEO in comparison to someone that's a low-income New Yorker,” Adams added.

HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA

The shooting has sparked a heated discussion about the health care industry in the United States, with many people sharing their own harrowing experiences in the wake of the tragedy.

UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance company in the nation, has seen criticism in recent years for allegedly using a flawed AI program to override doctors’ judgments and deny coverage to elderly patients. The company was also named in a U.S. Senate committee report about the denial of nursing care to patients recovering from falls and strokes in October.

A professor of health care ethics at a university in Missouri told NPR that UnitedHealthcare denied coverage for an important surgery about two days before it was scheduled earlier this year. She finally got it approved in the nick of time – albeit with a lot of stress and tears.

“While I’m not rejoicing about the UHC CEO being shot dead in the street, I'm not sad about it, either,” she wrote. “People deserve better than the U.S. health insurance industry, and chickens come home to roost.”

Other people have been sharing insurance stories involving UnitedHealthcare after the shooting, including an X user who wrote about the denial of a claim involving his mother’s lung cancer, and another who shared a letter of denial for his son’s wheelchair.

“All of a sudden, I am fired up again,” a former patient told PBS News, describing how UnitedHealthcare denied claims related to his wife’s fatal disease.

But for some, there is no equivocation when it comes to the killing.

“In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shaprio recently commented. “Hear me on this, he is no hero.”

This post contains reporting from Eric Kiefer.

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