Many believe US healthcare industry was to blame in CEO killing, poll

In a new poll, more than two-thirds of respondents said they believed denials of coverage and profits in the health insurance industry were partially responsible for the killing of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, in early December.

Thompson was shot dead on the streets of Manhattan. His killer fled, sparking a nationwide manhunt, which ended when Luigi Mangione was arrested and charged with the killing after being arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s. Mangione’s alleged writings indicated that he was angry at the US healthcare industry and saw it as exploitative.

The executive’s death also saw an outpouring of expressions of public anger towards the healthcare industry, with many Americans on social media sharing stories of poor experiences at the hands of the US profit-based healthcare system.

Almost 70% of respondents said “denials for health care coverage by health insurance companies” shared “a great deal” or a “moderate amount” of responsibility. Sixty-seven per cent said “profits made by health insurance companies” shared “a great deal” or a “moderate amount” of responsibility.

Twenty per cent of respondents to the new poll said “the individual who committed the killing” bore “only a little” responsibility or “none at all” for the death of Thompson. On the other hand, 78% said that person bore “a great deal” or a “moderate amount” of responsibility.

The poll, which was conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, surveyed 1,001 participants from 50 states and the District of Columbia. The participants were all 18 years or older. The survey was conducted between 12 December and 16 December.

According to the poll, Americans were tuned into news about the CEO’s killing, with 73% of respondents saying they either heard about the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO “a lot” or “some”. Twenty-seven per cent said they heard “only a little” or “nothing at all”.

Fifty-eight per cent of respondents said they had never personally had an issue with their health insurance. Fifty-seven per cent said their immediate family had never had an issue and 53% say their close friends had never had an issue.

But 15% say they had personally had a claim denied, 13% had had issues getting prior authorization, 16% had struggled to find a suitable provider within their covered network, and 7% did not have any health insurance.

Forty-one per cent of respondents said that they were “not very concerned” or “not at all concerned” about “the possibility of further violence directed at health insurance executives or executives from other industries”, while 39% said they were “somewhat concerned”. Nineteen per cent said they were “extremely” or “very” concerned.

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