UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing unleashes social media rage against insurers
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Wednesday's shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson unleashed a wave of social media-fueled rage against health insurers, with posters lashing out over coverage denials and other business practices.
Why it matters: Experts say the lack of sympathy may reflect an inherent truth about Americans and their health plans: People tend to like their own insurer but distrust the industry — and indeed, the health system at large.
- UnitedHealthcare is the country's largest private health insurer by market share and, like other big carriers, has been targeted with lawsuits and criticism from regulators and lawmakers over allegedly denying claims to maximize profits.
- Thompson's wife told NBC News he had been receiving threats, possibly related to health care coverage, but investigators haven't identified a motive for the murder.
Context: Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two based in Minnesota, was shot and killed in what police say was a targeted attack early Wednesday morning in Manhattan while walking to an investor conference.
- He joined the parent UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and climbed the ranks, becoming CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021, according to his LinkedIn account.
Driving the news: As the news broke Wednesday morning, a vocal subset of social media users unleashed raw emotions about the industry.
- "When you shoot one man in the street it's murder. When you kill thousands of people in hospitals by taking away their ability to get treatment you're an entrepreneur," an X user wrote.
- "Saw mainstream news coverage about the killing of the CEO of United Healthcare on TikTok and I think political and industry leaders might want to read the comments and think hard about them," activist Tobita Chow wrote on X.
Where it stands: Americans tend to give their health insurance positive reviews — unless they're sick and actually need to use it, according to a KFF survey of more than 3,600 insured adults conducted last year.
- 81% of insured U.S. adults in the survey gave their health insurance a rating of good or excellent. But that figure dropped to 68% for people with fair or poor health.
Zoom in: Even though Americans largely rate their own health insurance positively, public opinion polls show people dislike the insurance industry overall, said Liz Hamel, vice president and director of public opinion and survey research at KFF.
- In a 2018 survey from KFF, 90% of adults with employer-sponsored coverage who thought health spending was too high said health insurance companies bear at least a fair amount of blame for the problem.
- Data collected by Gallup last year found that 36% of Americans rated the services health insurance companies provide as only fair, and another 32% rated them as poor.
- "People who are healthy and don't have to use their coverage a lot, they see how much it can cost if you don't have insurance," Hamel said. "There's a phenomenon of people feeling grateful that they have coverage" at all.
The other side: Insurance leaders cautioned against drawing broad conclusions from some inflammatory posts.
- "People choosing to say and do deeply unkind things on the internet is unfortunately nothing new and is not unique to today's tragic events," said one industry official, speaking on the condition he not be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
- Mike Tuffin, CEO of AHIP, the trade group for health insurers, on Thursday condemned suggestions that threats against industry officials are acceptable.
- "The people in our industry are mission-driven professionals working to make coverage and care as affordable as possible and to help people navigate the complex medical system," he said in a statement to Axios.
- UnitedHealth did not respond to a request for comment.
Still, Americans' frustration with health insurance companies is based on real events that can have serious medical and financial consequences.
- Nearly 60% of those surveyed by KFF last year said they'd experienced problems with their health insurance, such as denied claims or difficulties with provider networks.
- Among insured adults who saw a doctor more than 10 times in the previous year, nearly one-third experienced problems with requirements that the health insurer sign off on an item or service before it's covered, the KFF survey found.
Health insurers maintain that these policies prevent fraud and stop unneeded or inappropriate medical care. But other data shows the requirements can lead to patients abandoning or delaying care.
- Policymakers have sought to crack down on prior authorization overuse in recent years.
Case in point: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in Connecticut, New York and Missouri decided last month to only cover anesthesia services for a certain number of minutes per procedure starting next year.
- "This is just the latest in a long line of appalling behavior by commercial health insurers looking to drive their profits up at the expense of patients and physicians providing essential care," Donald Arnold, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, said in a news release.
Axios' Nathan Bomey contributed.
Editor's note: The story has been updated with comment from AHIP.
