Most news stations are talking about the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson that took place on December 4th, 2024 in Midtown, Manhattan. UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurance company that helps families and/or individuals who need health insurance. UnitedHealthcare was established in 1977 and became the largest healthcare company by revenue. It provides health coverage for millions of people. The coverage spans many plans such as dental, vision, and even life insurance. Their purpose is to work with different pharmacies and hospitals to ensure people are getting the healthcare that they need. UnitedHealthcare is part of a bigger company called the UnitedHealth Group. The UnitedHealth Group focuses more on technology and data, while UnitedHealthcare is more hands-on patient care. The goal of both is to advance healthcare with hands-on, real-world action to make healthcare better for everyone. However, what they claim to provide doesn’t always match what actually happens in practice.
Brian Thompson born in Ames, Iowa was married to Paulette Thompson and they have two sons. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Iowa and then joined the UnitedHealth Group in 2004. In April 2021, he became the CEO of the UnitedHealthcare company. Thompson was in Manhattan to attend UnitedHealthgroup’s annual conference that brings their investors and leaders to discuss future projections. Thompson’s main goal for attending was to argue for better healthcare policy and to “eliminate out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving drugs.” As Thompson was leaving his hotel he was murdered outside in broad daylight. Witnesses said they heard gunshots before Thompson collapsed on the sidewalk. When emergency responders came, he was pronounced dead at the scene and an immediate manhunt for the suspect started. The shooter was later identified as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione.
Luigi Mangione was born in 1998 to Kathleen and Louis Mangione, a wealthy Baltimore family. His family was well-known in Maryland for their multiple businesses. He was a high school valedictorian and a former Ivy League student at the University of Pennsylvania. Friends of Mangione said that he was a humble person and never seemed to be violent. The news about him being wanted came as a shock to his family because they claimed he was missing months before the killing took place. They reached out to his former friends asking if they knew of his whereabouts. NBC News stated, “After months of silence and growing worry from his family and friends, Mangione finally resurfaced Monday when he was captured by police in Pennsylvania as the suspect in Thompson’s killing.”
Mangione was arrested on December 9th for the murder of Brian Thompson. He was seen going to a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania. When he was arrested, authorities found a “ghost gun” (this is a 3D-printed gun that isn’t traceable), a silencer, a notebook, multiple fake IDs, and an unknown amount of cash. In addition, officials found a note that was directed to the FBI and other healthcare companies. He says that “these parasites simply had it coming.” He continues to say that he isn’t the best person to talk about the ongoing argument about healthcare but he has learned information from others over time. Specifically, he referred to the work of Rosenthal and Moore, who exposed decades of greed and corruption within healthcare companies. These discrepancies are still present to this day, which seems to be a reason why he did what he did. Mangione says that the problem isn’t just a lack of awareness but a problem within the systemic power dynamic. In which he is the only one to face these truths so brutally.
The motive behind the killing is still unclear. He had a life-altering injury to his back in 2023, which individuals believe could be a reason why he killed the former CEO due to the lack of proper treatment. Some say he might’ve known of Thompson and seen how there were inequalities within the healthcare system. UnitedHealthcare denied insurance claims, random medical bills started to occur, and people had to pay extra money for their health expenses out-of-pocket. Which then caused people to think that Mangione took it into his own hands and killed the CEO for justice.
The death of Thompson has stirred a lot of mixed emotions. While people feel deep sadness about his passing, there’s also a lot of anger and frustration, especially when it comes to the way insurance companies treat their customers. Many are upset by how these companies deny claims, offer low reimbursements, and seem driven by greed rather than compassion. It’s a tough situation because, while Thompson’s death is heartbreaking, the mistreatment by health insurance companies adds to the bitterness people feel. It’s clear that something needs to change.
To prevent these types of things from happening to the UnitedHealthcare company again, they should talk and focus more on improving people’s mental health and addressing the problems that people are having with the business. UnitedHealthcare should have programs surrounding mental health for young adults. This could help students manage stress and resolve conflicts without violence. Addressing the feelings people have against UnitedHealthcare could also fix a lot of the controversy going on. The public has been unsatisfied with the cost of insurance and healthcare facilities not caring for the people in need. They should focus on building people’s trust by not making their health insurance policies so difficult. Another way this could be prevented is by monitoring illegal firearms. The use of the “ghost gun” which couldn’t be traced shows that security needs to be strictly enforced and would need to pay more attention to what 3D printers are being used for. In order to better protect UnitedHealthcare and other healthcare business officials; concentrating on how to respond to people’s needs allows people to feel heard, seen, and protected.
