A majority of Americans believe issues in the healthcare industry were responsible for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to a recent survey.
The 2024 AmeriSpeak Omnibus report takes a look at attitudes toward the killing and Luigi Mangione, the individual accused of the murder. The study, which surveyed 1,001 adults, found that 73 percent of respondents were aware of the story. About 69 percent blamed denials of health insurance for the murder.
Thompson’s murder has garnered national attention, which explains why so many have heard of the story. The survey revealed that 39 percent heard “a lot” about the murder, with 34 percent having heard “some” about the incident.
Respondents largely attributed responsibility for the killing to systemic issues in the country’s healthcare industry. About 69 percent blamed health insurance denials, while 67 percent pointed the finger at corporate profits. The survey showed that 53 percent also cited “Wealth or income inequality in general” as a motivation.
Not surprisingly, 78 percent of respondents also blamed the person who carried out the shooting, while 20 percent either did not blame him at all or only blamed him “a little.”
Respondents did not appear concerned about future violence against executives like Thompson, with only 19 percent indicating they were “extremely” or “very” concerned about this scenario. Most fell into the “somewhat concerned” (39 percent) or “not concerned” (41 percent) categories.
Americans are highly dissatisfied with their health insurance coverage, according to the report. Many experienced problems with obtaining affordable healthcare, with 15 percent having their claims denied and 16 percent facing challenges finding in-network providers.
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Paying for their care was also a problem, with 43 percent reporting having to pay out-of-pocket and 39 percent indicating they experienced ongoing health issues. Only about 14 percent found satisfactory conclusions.
Thompson’s murder has brought concerns about healthcare back to the forefront, even if just for a moment.
Patients and doctors often complain about coverage denials and other complications interfering with care, especially for serious illnesses like cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Insurance industry critics frequently point to company profits in questioning whether the interests of patients are their top focus.
UnitedHealthcare made more than $16 billion in profit last year, before interest and taxes, on $281 billion in revenue. Insurers frequently note that most of the revenue they bring in goes back out the door to pay for care. UnitedHealthcare said this month that it pays about 90 percent of medical claims when they are submitted. The insurer has not provided details about how many claims that involves.
The affordability of healthcare appears to have been a motive for Mangione’s alleged actions. When he was arrested, the authorities found some of his writings on the issue.
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.
This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, a lot of patience. The spiral notebook, if present, has some straggling notes and To Do lists that illuminate the gist of it.
My tech is pretty locked down because I work in engineering so probably not much info there. I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done.
Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming. A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy. United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart.
It has grown and grown, but as our life expectancy? No the reality is, these [indecipherable] have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allwed [sic] them to get away with it.
Obviously the problem is more complex, but I do not have space, and frankly I do not pretend to be the most qualified person to lay out the full argument. But many have illuminated the corruption and greed (e.g.: Rosenthal, Moore), decades ago and the problems simply remain
It is not an issue of awareness at this point, but clearly power games at play. Evidently I am the first to face it with such brutal honesty.”
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Brian Thompson, which means his ongoing trial might keep healthcare in the spotlight as more information emerges.
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