US Healthcare CEO Murdered - Please read mod note at OP

That made me smile, though I know it's not meant to be funny. And the two parties would call each other right and left, but when it comes to business they're both aligned. Reaganomics might have started the ball rolling, but Bill Clinton gave it a helluva' kick too.

Well, not much of this makes sense. If it were a purely rational phenomenon then neither of their backgrounds would matter, nor Thompson's ten million dollar salary. For what it's worth, and I didn't see it mentioned either, but employees of his company were quoted in the immediate aftermath saying he was one of few execs in the company who wanted to change the system and do something about the company's negative image. Also, it seems the narrative has since moved from "poor guy, beaten down by rapacious insurance giant" to "young, hot Che Guevara/Robin Hood type takes on the rapacious insurance industry". The speed at which people everywhere (including here) reduced Thompson to "a tapeworm" and an undeserving parasite, was a bit shocking to me. If this were purely rational it would be about a senseless murder on one hand, and the completely separate policy question around how to organise healthcare.

The article is below, which was printed Dec 5th (day after the shooting)

A longtime employee of UnitedHealthcare said that workers at the company had been aware for years that members were unhappy. Mr. Thompson was one of the few executives who wanted to do something about it, said the employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the company does not allow workers to speak publicly without permission.

In speeches to employees, Mr. Thompson spoke about the need to change the state of health care coverage in the country and the culture of the company, topics other executives avoided, the employee said.

I would have thought the cynical response would be to say - he was probably only concerned about the company's public image to the extent that it affects the bottom line. Even if that is cynical, there's bound to be a thread of truth to it.

There's a US company operating in that general area in this country, and they are notoriously difficult to deal with. I've had dealings with them myself. I honestly think that people wouldn't use these companies if they had a choice, or if given a choice (as we were) they would gladly pay more to another company that is easier to deal with. So what might be happening is that American employees are saddled with them, because they are the only option provided by their employer. If there is anything worse than a public sector monopoly, it's probably a private sector one.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/nyregion/social-media-insurance-industry-brian-thompson.html?unlocked_article_code=1.g04.kh2C.NumC6b5X6-20&smid=url-share

Believe whatever you want. I'd be more likely to believe a reputable newspaper over this kind of lurid speculation about him,

@yagan Is that in reference to the "manifesto" he supposedly posted? I have trouble believing that is genuine. If he really planned this murder as meticulously as he did, with that vague rambling about life expectancy as justification, then I think he and maybe the world is a lot more f**ked up than I thought.

All the newspaper is reporting is what one employee told them. We're not exactly in an era reknowned for quality investigative journalism and media manipulation has been identified as a leading cause of electorates voting against their own best interest (Brexit, Trump etc.) so I'll stick to judging people by their actions rather than hearsay reported by a "reputable newspaper".