United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, Shot and Killed in the Street ...

 

Working in healthcare myself, I found this especially shocking, right?

So though we don't know yet why that United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, was shot and killed in the Manhattan street, we know this - somebody was trying to send a message - but what IS the message?

As I was writing this post, just a few moments ago, the news came across the wire that there were words written on the bullet casings found at the scene: 

"Delay. Deny. Defend" and another news outlet claimed one of them said "Depose."

Hmmmm.

Wait .. what???

If it's true that one really said "depose," then that almost sounds ... political?

I don't know what that means, but I only hope it does NOT mean there will be more shootings.

So  until we figure out that out, let's talk about public reaction, and the first thought that ashamedly went through our minds when we first heard this, for a split second, admittedly or not, was "All right, who's medication or surgery didn't get covered?"

Now, that's a sad state of affairs in America, when even for a brief second, we're considering some sort of less dastardly motive for  murder, as if it's somehow justified because it's a health-insurance CEO, isn't it?

So then I felt badly for thinking that even for a brief second as a motive - because this is a human being - who didn't deserve to be shot in the back in the street by some coward who ran away, leaving 2 teenage boys fatherless. 

But apparently, the lack of sympathy for the man on social media wasn't just a brief fleeting thought for others, some of whom are openly expressing their outrage with health insurance companies and American greed as a result?

Okay, people, I get it - the astronomical cost of healthcare and the fact that this guy made $10 million a year, when so many people can't even afford their medication ...

... but DO understand that insurance companies are often just as frustrated as we are with overpriced pharmaceuticals and they are the only gatekeepers we have to try to mitigate pharmaceutical cost by placing prior authorizations on them to ensure 'right drug, right patient' or placing "steps" of other generics "steps" ahead of them first - (think Ozempic).

In fact, I jokingly said yesterday "Dang, if you want to shoot somebody over high healthcare costs and lack of coverage, shoot the pharma CEOs or the third-party pharmacy-benefit-manager CEOs!"

Of course, I was joking - nobody deserves to be shot over anything! 

(Well, unless it's self-defense.)

Look, I understand American frustration with American greed and losing faith in our justice system, especially when it comes to wealthy, powerful people whose actions affect, even ruin, people's lives - but we do NOT shoot people over it in vigilante justice!

There are also many theories as to what kind of message the shooter was trying to send, from possible insider trading, considering it was an investor meeting, or if there was some sort of love triangle or pissing off the wrong person over coverage - but we don't know.

That's what happens when you try to send some sort of message, but shoot somebody in the back and run away rather than face justice yourself, like a coward.

Regardless, let's all try to find our moral center again, because although we are all frustrated with the high cost of healthcare and greed run amuck and the lack of affordable justice - we do NOT go vigilante and shoot people!