Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Sick tribute at site of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's death
Daily Mail UK ^ | December 5, 2024 | Alyssa Guzman

Posted on 12/05/2024 5:58:36 PM PST by Morgana

A sick tribute appeared outside the New York City hotel where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down by an assassin on Wednesday.

A balloon with a sign taped to it reading 'CEO DOWN' over the image of a smiling star and party poppers was found outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan after Thompson, 50, was gunned down there Wednesday morning.

The balloon was spotted as many Americans have joked about the CEO's death due to his company's track record of rejecting medical claims.

The same image on the balloon was also shared on former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz's BlueSky account.

'People have very justified hatred toward insurance company CEOs because these executives are responsible for an unfathomable amount of death and suffering,' she wrote in a separate post.

'As someone against death and suffering, I think it’s good to call out this broken system and the [people] in power who enable it.'

In perhaps the most shocking post, Lorenz shared a news report about Blue Cross Blue Shield announcing it would not cover anesthesia for the full length of certain surgeries in some states.

She wrote: 'And people wonder why we want these executives dead.'

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: bluesky; brianthompson; california; districtofcolumbia; jeffbezos; murder; nancypelosi; taylorlorenz; unitedhealthcare; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-38 last
To: GaryCrow
The Way we're fighting this type of corruption is by hiring Donald J Trump to do something about this mess.

Angry people in the streets is theater... corrupt bigs buy libral rent a mob idiots to keep the chaos going and the solutions stalled.

So we fight back by dumping democrat corruption and putting Trump in charge.

Insurance companies are regulated by and fed by government corruption. Did YOU know the companies that sell Medicare Advantage 'insurance' are paid $100,000 PER SENIOR PER YEAR for inadequate medical care that will bankrupt most couples before they die? Someone cut deal from hell. Insurance companies didn't do it on their own. Hand in glove with DC...

21 posted on 12/05/2024 11:02:43 PM PST by GOPJ (Should a 30 year old man self-identified as being ten, be allowed to play little league baseball?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

The ugly comments here (and even worse on most other platforms) reflect not only people who are heading us into a vengeful society that will ultimately lead to civilization failing, or a “civilization” something like what we see in the Mideast, these comments also reflect complete lack of understanding of the basic problems.

Instead we hear about excessive company profits(1) and excessive executives’ compensations.(2)

1) I have yet to hear any of the disgruntled post figures for what the PERCENTAGE profits of, say, United Health Care have been for the last decade or two. Nor is an excessive % profit ever defined, nor is it discussed where most of these profits actually end up.

2) This comes in 2 parts:

2a) Most everything concerning a small business, much less one of these huge corporations is insanely complex these days. (A lot of this is due to excessive gov’t.) People capable of running these large companies well (ie., make a profit so as to stay in business) are in high demand and the supply is small. Basic economics tells us that the price will be high.

2b) Even so (1), the top execs’ pay / compensation is a tiny fraction of these companies’ expenses. If the deceased here agreed to work for $200,000 a year out of the goodness of his heart, it would have essentially no effect on the % of claims denied.

So, what are the basic problems?

First off, we have health care that is literally miraculous in many cases (esp. when you take into account what an unhealthy lifestyle and population we have), but... this care is very expensive and nobody but the wealthy can afford it or want to pay for it. Some of this is due to expensive technologies and R & D, some is due to fraud, some is due to gov’t intrusion, and some is due to our overly litigious society.

Second, we have the disastrous system now of 3rd party payment of health insurance / medical costs. This furthers the idea of individuals they they are not directly responsible for their own health care expenses, leading to further spirals in those very same costs.

Eventually these problems will push us into fully and directly gov’t run health care whether those of us who are actual conservatives like it or not, and of course that will bring all the problems common to gov’t running the whole shebang, including inefficiency, rationing of care or delays in care, and fewer and fewer advancements and innovations.


22 posted on 12/05/2024 11:05:28 PM PST by Paul R. (Bin Laden wanted Obama killed so the incompetent VP, Biden, would become President!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

This is a horrible rush to justify murder. I’m suspicious of the wife, whose statements and reactions are not exactly what one would expect.


23 posted on 12/06/2024 2:37:09 AM PST by Moonmad27
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasFreeper2009

Yep. As are those on FR who do not mourn the death of this man. Sick.


24 posted on 12/06/2024 3:11:17 AM PST by DennisR (Look around - God gives countless clues that He does, indeed, exist.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Tthere is a whole class of obscenely remunerated CEO’s with their filthy golden parachutes (and their boards) who are enthusiastic accomplices to leftist government rot. At the very least they should be reduced to penury.


25 posted on 12/06/2024 3:39:57 AM PST by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Morgana

Condolences to family and friends of Brian Thompson.


26 posted on 12/06/2024 4:17:48 AM PST by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nonliberal

on the good side he wasn’t severely injured and then subjected to the company’s own rules for those with a policy.


27 posted on 12/06/2024 4:27:49 AM PST by Qwapisking (Q: know the difference between a petulant 6 y.o. and a liberal? A:age. L.Star )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: GOPJ
Insurance companies are regulated by and fed by government corruption. Did YOU know the companies that sell Medicare Advantage 'insurance' are paid $100,000 PER SENIOR PER YEAR for inadequate medical care that will bankrupt most couples before they die? Someone cut deal from hell. Insurance companies didn't do it on their own. Hand in glove with DC...

Corporatism pays if you're tight with the government, and politicians get rich if their pet corporations do well. Nice little cosa nostra.


28 posted on 12/06/2024 4:38:39 AM PST by Sirius Lee (Gosh, that's swell!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: GOPJ

It’s more about “if you pay and the chef makes excuses not to give you your food, or delays it so long, you leave”


29 posted on 12/06/2024 6:56:47 AM PST by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: TornadoAlley3

Anesthesiologist doesn’t control how long the surgery takes.

I have been a victim of surprise billing from an Anesthesiologist.

My solution for surprise billings is to require baseball arbitration between the provider and the insurer, and require the insurer to not penalize the patient for out of network care. Other cure would be require the in-network provider who contracted with someone out of network to eat the difference and leave the patient out of it entirely, coupled with antitrust action against the practice groups where appropriate.

The Pure Free Marketers here will flame me (or should if they are true to their beliefs) but some folks need regulating.


30 posted on 12/06/2024 11:16:58 AM PST by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: PAR35

They were trying to avoid what you suggested. Putting anesthesia and patient on notice due to everything being surprise billing from the anesthesiologist.


31 posted on 12/06/2024 12:34:25 PM PST by TornadoAlley3 ( I'm Proud To Be An Okie From Muskogee)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: TornadoAlley3

” If an anesthesiologist submits a bill where the actual time of care is longer than Anthem’s limit, Anthem will deny payment for the anesthesiologist’s care. “
https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2024/11/anthem-blue-cross-blue-shield-will-not-pay-complete-duration-of-anesthesia-for-surgical-procedures

Stick it to the patient and the doctors from a company that made over $170 Billion in profit in 2023.


32 posted on 12/06/2024 4:19:59 PM PST by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: nonliberal

UHC & Anthem both have a profit margin of less than 4%


33 posted on 12/06/2024 9:23:56 PM PST by campaignPete R-CT (I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: campaignPete R-CT

And?


34 posted on 12/07/2024 7:18:48 AM PST by nonliberal (Russia is not my enemy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: nonliberal

Customers who want the lowest premium end up with UnitedHC

Go with a higher premium for similar coverage ... more relaxed claims procedures


35 posted on 12/07/2024 2:52:22 PM PST by campaignPete R-CT (I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: PAR35

170B was their revenue

$6 billion was profit


36 posted on 12/07/2024 2:57:26 PM PST by campaignPete R-CT (I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Ennis85

Wholesale warfare was fought for less. Welcome to Human Nature 101.

Using AI with sophisticated algorithms to deny coverage of paying consumers that put trust in your promises will cause an equal or opposite reaction.

My guess is that Washington Dc will be next on the list eventually.


37 posted on 12/07/2024 3:03:01 PM PST by rollo tomasi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: campaignPete R-CT

What was their profit EBEB* basis?

*Earnings before Executive Bonuses


38 posted on 12/07/2024 5:38:20 PM PST by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-38 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson