Jamie’s Corner, Chapter Seven

The CEO of United Healthcare was assassinated in New York City just over a week ago. Two boys will grow up without a father because someone got mad at the system and cracked. A globetrotting Ivy Leaguer from a wealthy family killed a small-town Midwesterner who had climbed his way up the corporate ladder. Luigi Mangione didn’t care to look Brian Thompson in the eye, instead shooting him from behind in cold blood, his engraved shell casings demonstrating his narcissistic impulse to cast himself as a victim-turned-hero.

This assassination ought to land Mangione behind bars for his lifetime. Let our judicial system proceed.

The online reaction in some quarters to Thompson’s murder has been predictably pathetic. Quotes like, “Thoughts and prayers are out of network,” and media troll extraordinaire Taylor Lorenz’s expressions of “joy” need no response. These expressions of vitriol are unworthy of civilized society. But as any parent knows from children’s temper tantrums, there is an underlying reason for anger. In this case, most Americans don’t trust health insurance companies.

Gallup polls consistently show that a majority of people view health insurance companies negatively, a percentage that has steadily increased and that stands in stark contrast to the public’s perception of physicians and hospitals. I thank God for the good health insurance I’ve had – my wife delivered our three children in hospitals, generating bills insurance softened. Two of my kids made trips to the ER, and I had shoulder surgery, all incurring costs insurance substantially underwrote.

But I also know that some insurance executives receive growing amounts of compensation while the benefits their companies offer shrink. America spends over $12,000 per capita on healthcare, more than double peer nations, all in the midst of myriad public health crises. And the stories of insurance companies routinely denying life-saving treatment abound. Some individuals have been denied treatment but offered physician-assisted suicide in California or euthanasia in Canada.

Does this make Brian Thompson and the tens of thousands of health insurance workers around America villains? Certainly not, and such black-and-white thinking is what leads to societal decay and ultimately, the evil we just witnessed. Healthcare is an immensely complex system with many more players and variables than just health insurance providers.

We all must rally around first principles – humans come first. If over 25 years in advance care planning has taught us anything, it’s that people – not profits, reputation, or margins – should be the center of care. This tragic episode from the streets of New York City shows that America has a long road toward making patients feel like they’re cared for as people.

This is why we at Aging with Dignity push back against assisted suicide and euthanasia, why we are wary of artificial intelligence replacing human intelligence in care settings, and why we advocate tirelessly for health insurers and providers to respect people’s wishes at the end of life. Some of our biggest Five Wishes partners are health insurance providers who care about their customers.

Our thoughts turn to Mrs. Thompson and her two sons. May they be consoled by the prayers and sympathy of Americans everywhere. The new year bears hope for them and all of us. See you in 2025!

Jamie