In UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing, industry frustration crowds out empathy

Gina Moffa, a New Yorker, walked by the scene of the fatal shooting of health care industry CEO Brian Thompson on her way home from the doctor’s office on Thursday afternoon, just one day after the attack.

Moments before, she discovered her insurance deductible hadn’t been met. So she had to pay an unexpected $1,600 for the office visit.

Ms. Moffa is hardly alone in feeling overwhelmed by the costs and complexities of the U.S. health system. Between 2005 and 2022, the share of working-age Americans struggling with medical-bill problems or debts increased from 34% to 41%, according to a survey by The Commonwealth Fund. An analysis by KFF, an independent health care research group, estimates that people in the United States owe at least $220 billion in medical debt.

Such pressures may have been a factor in the assassination-style killing of the leader of America’s largest health insurance company Wednesday morning, according to evidence gathered by police so far. Those pressures may also explain the lack of empathy seen in a number of public comments about the killing, says Ms. Moffa, a clinical social worker, who lives on Manhattan’s West Side.

A sign of motive? “Deny,” “defend,” and “depose.”

Detectives say the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were written on shell casings discovered at the scene of Wednesday morning’s shooting, NBC reported. These apparent messages from the shooter echo critics who say the insurance industry has deployed a strategy of “delay, deny, defend” to reduce the number of claims paid.

The health insurance industry in some polls ranks as one of the least trusted in America. That doesn’t mean the typical American would have any support for this week’s shooting death. But an empathy vacuum was reflected on social media this week, where the Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University identified thousands of posts cheering Mr. Thompson’s death.

“There’s a bigger conversation at play here that we’re trying to push down the way we always do,” says Ms. Moffa, author of “Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss.” “But what I think can’t be ignored is that so many millions of people lack empathy, and we have to understand why.”

Concerns about security for CEOs

Police have not yet confirmed the shooter’s identity or motive. But Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York Police Department, called it a “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”

According to his wife, Paulette, Mr. Thompson had reportedly received threats related to coverage decisions. Medical industry professionals also saw threats against them rise during the pandemic.

But despite two protests earlier this year related to coverage denials at the company’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Mr. Thompson was alone and unguarded on Wednesday. He was killed just before dawn as he walked to a conference from a New York hotel in midtown. The shooter, who appears in police-issued photos as a slim young man in a hooded sweatshirt, fled via an e-bike and disappeared into Central Park. A massive search ended its second day Thursday without finding the gunman.

The killing has stirred discussion of whether corporate executives often lack appropriate security protection.

It has also put a focus on one of America’s largest and most controversial industries. In part, public reactions reflected how social media often rewards expressions of schadenfreude or the feeling of satisfaction when another person struggles.

Many also expressed sympathy for Mr. Thompson, his family and the rule of law. “This is horrifying news,” Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig wrote on the social media platform X. “This kind of violence is never acceptable.”

But the celebratory responses continued, echoing the way some people reacted positively to President-elect Donald Trump’s near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this year and snidely to the loss of wealthy explorers touring the Titanic wreck last year.

“When other’s human lives are deemed worthless, it is not surprising to have others view your life of no value as well,” wrote one medical doctor on social media.

Insurer’s denial rates more than doubled

UnitedHealthcare is America’s largest health insurer. A Senate report released this year found that the firm’s services denial rate after a serious medical issue almost tripled in recent years, increasing from 8.7% to 22.7% between 2019 and 2022. Some critics have described this shift as evidence of profiteering.

There are ample signs of other firms pursuing higher profits, too. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield recently announced cap on coverage of anesthesia in three states, drawing protests. On Thursday, with the news of Mr. Thompson’s death amplifying public outcry about the industry, the company reversed that plan. “Don’t mess with the health and well-being of New Yorkers – not on my watch,” warned a statement Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, one of the states where customers would have faced the cutbacks.

At the same time, there are some rising efforts to alleviate medical debt and curb the costs of borrowing in the U.S. After the three main credit rating agencies found that medical debt wasn’t a good predictor of creditworthiness, the 14% of Americans who had unpaid medical debt on their reports in 2022 dwindled to 5% by the middle of 2023.

For many, like Ms. Moffa, responses to the shooting reveal that “It’s hard for us to look at nuance and be able to hold two opposing thoughts at one time,” says Ms. Moffa. Many people feel their health insurance needs aren’t being met. Yet Mr. Thompson was also a human being.

“It’s a very complicated story that brings out larger themes in people’s lives and feeling prioritized and cared about by corporations.”