New York prosecutors have charged a suspect with murder for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down in Midtown Manhattan on December 4. The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, who was captured in Pennsylvania on Monday after a five-day nationwide search. Police say Mangione was found with a handwritten manifesto, which they have not released. Although little is known about the motive for Thompson’s killing, there has been an outpouring of rage on social media directed at the health industry, with many sharing stories of having claims for vital care denied and losing precious time with loved ones during illness. Former healthcare executive Wendell Potter, now an advocate for reform, says the anger being expressed now has always been “barely below the surface” and was one of the reasons he left the industry. “I couldn’t, in good conscience, continue to support an industry that … established themselves firmly between a patient and his or her doctor,” says Potter. “What we’re seeing, sadly, in some form or fashion probably was inevitable.”
We also speak with Derrick Crowe of the People’s Action Institute, which runs the Care Over Cost campaign, helping people fight back against health insurance claims denials. “These corporations have too much power in this country. They are blocking progress on issues like gun violence and on the epidemic of care denials in this country, either through prior authorizations or through claims denials,” says Crowe.
