When
a bombastic trump was on the campaign trail in
2016, he boasted he could “stand in the middle
of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not
“lose any voters.” Now an insurance industry
mogul has been shot down in cold-blooded
murder in Manhattan and the suspect is not
losing any popularity for his deed. These are
the signs of the time.
The
murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
went down on a public sidewalk in front of an
upscale Manhattan hotel. Ironically, Thompson
was on his way to speak at his corporation’s
investor conference. Thompson has kept his
investors happy and extraordinarily rich. Not
only is UHC the insurance kingpin in this
country, but it also dominates the global
insurance market. The corporation has an
estimated net worth of $550 billion because it
leads the industry in claim denials.
The motive of the perpetrator
was pretty clear to most. Left at the murder
scene were three marked bullet casings. The
words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were
reportedly written on the casings. These
seemingly harmless words are part of the title
from a book written almost 15 years ago by
Rutgers University law professor Jay Feinman.
Delay Deny
Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay
Claims and What You Can Do About It is a long title but long
is the history of the unfair claim practices.
Practices that have resulted in financial ruin
and even preventable deaths for consumers.
The
news of the murder brought an avalanche of
public vitriol. While most people will say
they are not celebrating Thompson’s death,
some will admit it has a karmic tone to it.
The internet came alive with personal stories
of interactions with the infamous insurance
industry.
The
estimated $5 trillion medical industrial
complex is composed of hospitals, Big Pharma,
insurance companies and a conglomerate of
health facilities and suppliers. I call it the
unwell system because there’s basically no
delivery of health care with a goal of
wellness. It is a system that is designed to
keep us sick and exploit all the medical
situations from surgeries to prescriptions.
Thompson’s
ambush has flipped the healthcare system on
its back to reveal the ugly underbelly and its
greedy, insensitive policies when it comes to
caring for this nation’s unhealthy and
critically ill citizens. This is our teachable
moment to take a hard look at these practices
and make meaningful changes. Instead of
meeting to see how to revamp the industry and
make it more humane and equitable, industry
cronies went on the defense. They convened to
discuss heightened security measures for their
CEOs and other prominent shareholders. This
included snatching photos and bios from
websites of said potential targets. They are
trying to make themselves invisible when the
suffering they create is brutally and
unmistakably obvious.
The
murder and mayhem caused by the healthcare
industry may not always be as evident as three
shots in the back of a CEO. I believe there is
some criminality in the practice of denying
people coverage for procedures that results in
death. We cannot let them go underground until
the heat blows over. We can’t let them get
away with murder. They must be held
accountable.
This
is also an opportunity for those of us who
believe in healthcare for all to organize for
these life-saving reforms. Trust me, there
will be many more of us getting sick under the
trump’s regime, especially given his kooky
choice for head of Health and Human Services.
A
person of interest in the New York attack has
been charged. I cringe to think this may be
the end of a story that touched the soul of
millions. It’s like a collective traumatic
experience that has been triggered by the
murder of Thompson. The practice of this
country is to ignore events that create
trauma, and to disregard the harm they cause.
The ultimate conviction of a
person-of-interest-turned-accused cannot be
the bow that wraps up the endemic problem of a
corrupt and inhumane system.
Brian
Thompson was worth $43 million at the time of
his death. The victims of the health insurance
industry are often seen as having little
value, even in death. Our loved ones do have
value, not the kind calculated by market
capitalism. We have a right to the best
healthcare in the world because it is a human
right.
