Love this! I want the next Democratic nominee to run on universal healthcare. They don’t have to have a single other initiative, just tax billionaires and give people medical, dental, and vision.
I’m pretty rare in that I have great insurance and honestly have never had issues with it. I pay a very affordable monthly fee that comes out of my salary. I see amazing often out-of-network doctors that have truly changed my life and don’t have to pay anything extra for them. I don’t have to go through some byzantine healthcare system to talk to these doctors - I can simply text them whenever I want. I’m frustrated that’s not the case for everyone and I know it’s because I work at a massive company that has a lot of leverage with health insurance companies.
I feel like the 1943 IRS decision to exempt employer-based health insurance from taxation at least partially contributed to why I have great health insurance. After that IRS ruling, employers were incentivized to provide health insurance to reduce their taxable income while also increasing wages to employees. However, that distinctly disadvantages self-employed people, small business owners, etc who couldn't afford it. A reason I would be hesitant to leave my job to start my own thing is that I wouldn’t want to leave the amazing health benefits we get (maternity leave, fertility benefits, etc). This counters the American ethos of wanting to encourage entrepreneurship to stimulate competition // give people more freedom / control over their professional lives. People shouldn't be at a disadvantage in the health insurance system because they don't work for a massive company!!!! Read this article - I found it very interesting - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/upshot/the-real-reason-the-us-has-employer-sponsored-health-insurance.html.
If anything, I feel like I witness a lot of moral hazard at play. Because I don’t pay anything, I access way more care than is actually beneficial. For example, I am reimbursed at 100% for as much physical therapy I want for my TMJ problems, but it really hasn’t worked for me. But there’s really no downside (minus time, I guess) in going multiple times a week for months, since I don’t pay. I've stopped because I don't love costing the system unnecessary money without improving my outcomes.
I took a class in college by the same guy (David Cutler) that helped Obama with the Affordable Care Act, and it was so illuminating about the complexities and challenges of providing excellent health care to a massive country. We read this article -> https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/06/01/the-cost-conundrum -> which was also super interesting.
(extremely tangential but I highly recommend intraoral massage for TMJ and always mention it to folks because few have heard about it--some PTs will do it, otherwise a good myofascial release massage therapist)
Thank you so much!!! I have done it through a masseuse and through my PT (though they focus more on my neck). It helps a little, but honestly not that much sadly :(
Thanks for the New Yorker article! I recognize the author and he’s written some good stuff, so I’m excited to read it. And maybe you take some ineffective treatments because of your great insurance, but time IS money and I’m sure you wouldn’t have gone except that you kept hoping it would work. I have access to National healthcare and I still dread dragging myself to see the doctor for basic stuff like my long-term eczema (gone less than a week after I got the right creams!) and other basic stuff.
That's true!! I will definitely try everything to stop the pain and yet nothing works :(
I have always really enjoyed Atul Gawande's work - hope you find it interesting (though it's now dated as it was written in 2009, as Obama was tackling healthcare reform).
I have no love for the healthcare industry in the states. For many years, I had absolutely no medical insurance and was completely panicked whenever I got sick because I have a tendency to get bronchitis that sometimes turns into pneumonia and would never go to the doctors. I truly understand the frustration people have, but vigilantism is not the way to correct this. Whether we want to use the words or not, it’s domestic terrorism plain and simple. As a liberal, I was absolutely appalled at everything regarding Kyle Rittenhouse and how that situation went down. I feel it would be hypocritical of me to condone one act of blatant, pre meditative murder and not the other, just because one shooter was on my side of the political spectrum. And the more I find out about this particular case, the more troubled I get. Yes, United Healthcare seems like a terrible insurance agency, no arguments from me. But the man who was killed was from a working class family in Iowa, who worked on farms growing up. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He got good grades in school, went to college, and worked hard to become a successful businessman. He was married and had two children. The epitome of the American dream. The shooter, on the other hand, WAS BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN HIS MOUTH. His grandparents owned country clubs, nursing homes, and other businesses in Baltimore. He went to a $40,000 prep school and then U Penn. His family is more affluent than the man he killed. I know that mental issues may be behind the shooting. Apparently, the shooter had/has a very painful back condition which many have attributed to a sort mental breakdown, but we’re not sure yet. He never had United Healthcare insurance himself, so personal issues with that company most likely did not play a part in the shooting. I think the response to this entire incident is a slippery slope and very reminiscent of Kyle Rittenhouse, just on the opposite side of the political spectrum. (This is from a lifelong democrat who is extremely pissed and sad about the last election, petrified about what POTUS #47 has in store for us, is pro choice ~ although I don’t think abortion would be as much of an issue if men learned to ejaculate responsibly, and truly understand what a mess the medical/healthcare industry is in the US)
yeah it does kinda bother me that his family made money off of nursing homes. clearly they were chasing profits if they were able to amass their net worth partially due to the nursing home biz.
i think luigi feels guilty about his wealth and privilege that likely arouse from some exploitation of the old & sick (this is all conjecture of course, i just think that's a weird for-profit business to be in), and that's why he acted out.
he could have instead tried to change the healthcare system from within since his family literally owned it. could have dedicated himself to philanthropy given his family's estimated $30-50mn fortune. i think that would have had way more systemic & profound outcomes than murder of a CEO that will just be replaced. i guess i just disagree that violence is a change agent (unless its literally an armed militia that successfully overthrows a gov't)
he could have also ran for office, given his background and wealth, to fight for a different kind of health care system - that's the best way to change things for the good IMO.
idk just feels like he wasted all his privilege tbh when his mind and wealth could have been used in much more productive and beneficial ways. i have to keep the faith that the system can be changed, even if it takes a lot of time, effort, and convincing
There’s an argument to be made that his actions have spurred more conversation and learning about our healthcare system than anything else that has happened in my memory. Will it translate into actual change? Too early to tell. But it’s not wild to imagine a path from the murder of this CEO to universal healthcare.
On a smaller scale, it will be interesting to see how the data comes out, but there are lots of anecdotal reports of insurance claims being approved quickly in the days since the murder. If that is true, what a positive thing for the families affected.
I personally doubt that this murder will lead to the election of a Sanders-esque "Medicare-for-all" politician in four years (though I hope I'm wrong). The best chance for Medicare for all was squandered when the DNC conspired to elect Biden in 2020. Sanders was the clear Democratic frontrunner, but the party seemed to think he was "too left" & would never win a national election.
I guess I always prefer the ethos of "fix your own home / backyard" or whatever. His family was running a business cited by Medicare for having low health inspection ratings. He likely had influence to improve those nursing home residents' and their families' lives without resorting to violence that left two innocent children fatherless.
Unfortunately, private health insurance companies will always find ways to drive profits (reimburse less, raise premiums, increase coverage) because of their corporate governance structure. Brian Thompson & his replacement work for / answer to, and will always answer to, their investors (BlackRock, Vanguard) and their board (Valerie Montgomery Rice, John Noseworthy).
Faster claim approvals over here post-murder will probably mean some more rejections / cost cutting measures over there. If not, they will get fired, and will be replaced by someone else that will pledge to find ways to return the company to profitability.
also I tend to believe in Dr. Sarno's psychosomatic approach to healing back pain. He believed a large percentage of back pain is actually due to repressed emotions (https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446557684) The pain is real, but the cause is your brain, not a structural abnormality. Per Sarno, many people if x-rayed would have the same spinal condition as the shooter, but not all of the would report painful symptoms. He was a surgeon who soon realized surgery didn't help these patients.
Sarno's approach prevented my mom and her three friends from having surgery. Howard Stern was also a famous disciple of Sarno. Once my mom realized her stress and emotions may be attributable to the agonizing, debilitating pack pain she experienced, the pain stopped. She said it was a miracle.
I think he 100% fits the bill .He clearly was a neurotic, intense, perfectionistic type with overbearing parents (see the story about how he was a lefty but his mom made him eat with his right hand to conform to perceived societal standards).
TOTAL conjecture - but I bet he felt no ability to deal or process with his insecurities / feelings of unworthiness. Reporters say he wrote on Reddit about issues in college with "brain fog" but probably he was overwhelmed and stressed because college was so hard, and he was used to nailing it and being the golden child valedictorian in high school. Doctors said there was nothing physically wrong with him. His symptoms were real, but the cause was his own tortured mind.
Please don't use this space to promote the unproven belief that a large percentage of back pain is due to needing therapy. I just dealt with a year of horrible back pain and it had nothing to do with my emotional state or mental health. I'm not unique in this. Your conjectures and assumptions about other people's pain is unnecessary and comes off as cruel — especially when you've noted you have easy access to excellent healthcare yourself, while most people don't.
I referenced a few cases where my mother and her friends said reading Dr. Sarno's book completely eradicated their back pain. I would argue that is some "proof" of success, though obviously it won't work for everyone. It's also studied here, a link to the NIH archive-- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8476063/.
I don't think I suggested that earlier, and I would never want to suggest that. A key tenet of this approach is that you must first ensure an MD confirms you don't have severe causal maladies like cancer, bone disease, etc.
This doctor found that in many cases, back surgery, physical therapy, and repeated visits to costly specialists didn't help his patients at all and instead saddled his patients with medical debt, tough recoveries etc. This was evidently, from what I've read, the case with the shooter. He got a surgery, reported relief for a few weeks, and then was back to experiencing excruciating pain. Sarno found this deeply distressing. His approach is much more affordable and doesn't require expensive treatments at all - simply increasing awareness of your inner world (e.g., by journaling everyday) and how it can contribute to physical pain.
If I know folks with chronic back pain that isn't getting better and isn't due to an identifiable disease, I encourage them to at least read the book and try his approach because I saw how it changed my mom's life. Of COURSE, I would never promote ignoring anyone's trusted doctors analysis and diagnosis. I guess I just believe in trying everything when I'm in severe pain (as I do with my TMJ - I'm exploring this psychosomatic approach since truly nothing medical has worked to date).
The point is not to be cruel, but rather to help people. People's pain is AGONIZING and often incurable with traditional medicine (e.g., surgeries, PT, etc). The PAIN is real, the CAUSE may not always be structural abnormalities. I have incredibly deep empathy for people with chronic pain they can't overcome - I myself experience it with TMJ.
I am totally conjecturing about the shooter, but I think the whole world is as well as everyone attempts to better understand what drove him to murder. He was not a customer of United Health Care so likely did not have personal experience with them. I know he tried everything for his back pain and it didn't help (at least that's my understanding - I'm sure more will come out). That's HELL and would drive anyone to madness. I just wish he could have found relief before self-isolating from his friends and family for six months to a year.
For murder? No. There isn’t a set of rules for one side of politics that doesn’t affect the other. People who stock pile guns waiting for the call to bear arms in a civil war of civilian militias are considered vigilantes on the far right. Do you agree with that mindset? I certainly do not. It terrifies me. So I have to apply those same principles to people on the left, even if I understand or even empathise with their reasoning. Taking the law into one’s own hands, in my opinion, will not fix the problem. I believe it will only create further unrest and division.
I also feel dehumanization of billionaires is wrong. Do I believe that there should be billionaires, no. But throughout history, the dehumanization of certain groups of people has led to making murder tolerable or justifiable. The minute we see people as less than human, their lives have less meaning than our own. Jews in the Holocaust, Muslims in the Bosnian war, the Tutsi’s in Rwanda, etc., were all dehumanized to justify their killing to the populations in which these atrocities took place. I know those are extreme examples, and billionaires are not an ethnic or religious minority. They are over privileged people who are most likely out of touch with most of the population, but I don’t believe that is a good reason for their murders. The Russian revolution began with overthrowing the monarchy and murder of the Czar & family which eventually turned into The Soviet Union led by Lenin and then Stalin. Were the people better off under these two dictators? I believe the millions who perished under their reigns would point to no.
A super interesting study I read once in college (psych major over here) is that actually most Americans (regardless of political ideology) secretly think that one day they too could be, or might be, millionares. The top 1% of income earners in America make something like $1.5mn a year, which most Americans say they aspire to and think is possible.
So, they don't want to implement aggressively progressive taxes on the top 1% because they think that they might get there themselves and wouldn't want super high taxes if so.
Even though that would be highly unlikely to occur, as they would have to be richer than 99% of their fellow Americans. These people would benefit much more from a progressive tax system since they will likely never be in the top 1%, and yet they identify with the top 1%.
Yeah, I'm kind of eye-rolling at people like Taylor Swift and Oprah with supposed progressive politics. Until you're giving away your wealth and living in one normal sized home, I don't really respect you. I get so grossed out by the multiple massive homes owned by these people.
Give your money to people who cannot afford a home at all and suffer from extreme anxiety about making their rent at all.
I know revolutions can end very badly—anyone who read Animal Farm can understand how they can go wrong. Sometimes people know that and still see it as an acceptable risk compared to the current situation. At the very least, different pigs would be in charge. Hopefully this incident will be a wake up call so that we can see some real reforms instead of protecting the status quo.
I don’t have a problem with dehumanizing billionaires, and while I don’t personally condone murder, I do think that billionaires need to face some sort of reckoning. Murder was extreme, but is there any way to hold billionaires accountable? Just continue to root for the orcas that destroy their yachts?
When you say billionaires need to be held accountable, do you mean all billionaires? Like the Taylor Swifts / Oprahs of the world? Or just the Gates, Walton, Bloomberg type of businessman billionaires. To me, I have a problem w/ all of them.
it's very simple: stop resource hoarding & give away your net worth. They all have way more than they or their children could ever possibly need. They could quietly pay off so many people's medical debt today if they wanted.
Yes, I think all billionaires should be held accountable. They should all pay more taxes. They should not be able to donate so much money to influence elections. And if their companies are being sued for unethical practices, they should not be able to buy their way out of it.
Allyson, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by dehumanization of billionaires. If billionaires are called monsters or vermin, then yes, I agree that's dehumanization. But I would not consider calling for billionaires to be taxes to be a form of dehumanization.
Brian Thompson dehumanized people for profit. As CEO, he oversaw policies that led to United Healthcare denying 1 out of every 3 claims made by doctors on their patients' behalf. Before he died, he was being sued for using AI—not doctors—to deny/delay claims made by the elderly. Thompson created record profits for the company and its shareholders, and the way he did this was through policies that *denied the humanity* of the insured. To even glancingly compare him to victims of genocide when he was the instigator of tremendous suffering feels backwards. Rather he reminds me of the Nazi Hermann Göring—not a raving anti-semite like Hitler and Goebbels but fine with dehumanization because 1) his superiors told him to do it and 2) the job came with some perks, like looted treasure. His defense at Nuremberg—essentially, I was out of touch—did not play well.
Yes, when the rules are clearly unfair (though lots of people have very different rules for what is unfair). I would like to believe that I would promote the civil disobedience of MLK, Jr., but I would rationalize my violence if someone harmed my children and I didn’t think the system would get them justice. Violence is meant to be a last resort. The fact that so many people are ok with resorting to it should tell those in charge of justice something.
That is a tough question. In the CEO case no. But I can understand the motivation and the extreme frustration that led to it. Don’t condone it but understand it.
For example, if someone harmed my child badly, nothing happened to the culprit, who continued to harm other children - I don’t know. I may be capable of such a thing in that case.
But in general I think killing people, vigilantism, etc are not ok. Shouldn’t happen. But justified? As in „is it just“? In some cases yes. It would still be morally wrong to end a life IMO.
It is not an easy question with and easy, one size fits all answer. 💚🌺
Coming from the working class and working your way up to millionaire isn’t an excuse for having no moral compass and creating, implementing and enforcing policies that kill and hurt people. Greed is an ugly thing- enriching oneself at great expense to others is grotesque.
And I don’t condone murdering people ever. Killing in self defense is another story.
There are no winners in this story but the ridiculous health care system in the USA needs complete reform.
I live in France and Germany and zero people in these countries go bankrupt over medical debt.
I think the also incredibly distressing thing in the US is that doctors may also be trying to maximize revenue when giving care to patients - prescribing costly treatments that do not necessarily improve patient outcomes - described here -https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/06/01/the-cost-conundrum).
That is so depressing to me - its not just the insurance providers, it's doctors, hospital administrators, hospital executives. I think Americans culturally love and valorize wealth over so many other things.
Yes to all this. Also want to give a shout-out to my niece, who is part of the team at the Economic Policy Institute who calculates the CEO pay - worker pay statistics: https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2023/
I am one of those people who was surprised and disappointed by the responses to the murder of Brian Thompson.
I agree with everything you say about health care in America. I agree that we should have universal health care paid for by taxes. I have been an active advocate for this change both professionally and personally. And I am dismayed by income inequality. As a former leader of an organization I took concrete steps to help ensure that I wasn't part of the problem.
And I am equally dismayed (actually blown away and frightened) by the fact that more than half of voters chose a cruel, uneducated, man to be our next President.
There has been a distinct loss of civility in the US. In addition, there has been an attack on our judicial system and rule of law. As a minority, a minority that has been othered and discriminated against, I am frightened for myself but, mostly for my children and grandchildren.
In is in the above context that I was disappointed that so many either praised the actions of the shooter, held him up as a hero, or were simply ok with the murder of Brian. Every time the shooter was praised, each time someone dismissed his actions because they were "justified," a message is sent that vigilante justice is ok.
I do not agree that there was no cause for alarm because the shooter only targeted a specific, white, wealthy man whose job they believed warranted his death. There are many white, wealth people who work for companies that you and I would probably agree do a great deal of harm. Would you have the same response to the killing of gun manufacturer CEOs? Or the killing of the CEO of a cigarette manufacturer.
A civil society does not condone the murder of a human being because we believe he is part of a problem with how our society cares for its citizens.
I share the above not to try to change anyone's mind but, instead to respond to your surprise that someone would not praise, justify, condone or in another way think the killing of Brian Thompson was ok.
“Would you have the same response to the killing of gun manufacturer CEOs? “
Yes.
Would I rather have the state require accountability from the CEO for guns being the number one cause of death for children in America? Also yes.
Would I be surprised if someone whose life was destroyed by gun violence was tired of working and waiting for accountability, and took action themselves? No.
Thank you for your response. Though I do not know you personally, I have been following your social media for many years, have read your books and am a big fan. On this topic we simply disagree.
Do you support the death penalty? Do you think you could live with yourself if you or your child murdered a gun manufacturer CEO or the health insurance CEO? What would you say if your child was the one that went from UPenn to murdering a CEO and then likely spending life in prison? Would you think that the harm caused to your family by your son/daughter having to spend a life in prison was offset by the lives he may or may not help?
I don't think I would ever be able to murder a murderer. I truly think (easy for me to say, I haven't had to put this to test in any extreme way) that you find more peace of mind in finding deep empathy and forgiveness for everyone, even those that committed the most horrifying atrocities.
I guess that's my yogi belief in nonviolence talking.
I agree with this completely. Brian Thompson was someone’s son, husband, and father. His kids have to live with the fact that his brutal death is preserved on video. I 100% think our health care system needs change, but violence is not the way to do that. I also wonder if Thompson had been murdered in a random act of violence like a mugging gone wrong rather than shot by a good-looking, upper-class, well-educated guy that we would be having this conversation.
When I first heard this story I *immediately* thought, "oh...this isn't random. This is symbolic."
I now live in Canada where we have problems with our health care (sure), but I have a great family doctor, have had every test I've needed done, and did not walk out of my one ER experience with ANY bills. It's like a miracle, honestly, when you're from the US. I one time was telling a group of my friends here that we paid (in health insurance, hospital, and doc fees combined) over $10K for my very healthy baby and normal delivery. They said, "You got a BILL????" That was 17 years ago. It still makes me laugh thinking of their incredulousness.
I chat with a lot of people from the US when they're visiting (this often happens when I share a ski lift with them), and every single one (!!) asks me about the healthcare and they are AMAZED when I say it's just fine, and if the US had it similarly, everyone would think after about 5 years... "What the heck did we wait so long for?" -- no matter what political side you're on.
I'm not sure if you listen to Pantsuit Politics podcast, but Sarah said something excellent about this topic the other day. She said, "Is this a thing that people should be making lots and lots of money at? Because that's where you get the rage. That's where you get people online not feeling an ounce of guilt and being completely disconnected from the fact that this is a real man who was gunned down, who has children, is because the profit model is an invitation to dehumanize because it is dehumanizing on the other side. So if you're going to dehumanize me to make a profit, then I'm not going to feel bad about dehumanizing you when some of that blows back. I think that's where people are at. And I'm not saying it's ethical, moral or right. I'm just saying they feel dehumanized by the system. And so they are more than happy to dehumanize those that benefit from said system." (link: https://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/show-archives/2024/12/6/everything-is-different)
.... and I thought.... THAT. That is exactly right! It's dehumanizing from top to bottom.
No one even seemed to notice a few years ago when one of the huge bigwigs of an insurance company apologized in early covid for KNOWINGLY LYING to US citizens by marketing "socialist" propaganda about Canadian healthcare *for the fact that they would loose money* if people chose medicare for all. I think his guilty conscience was getting to him....
Remember that healthy baby. up there? That was back in 2007, and we got SCREWED on our insurance (we even paid pregnancy insurance 6+ mo before we even got pregnant!)...after that, I cut them off. I was never going to spend another DIME on this unethical racket that only exists to *make money for their shareholders*.
At the end of the day, I don't condone his violence, but I can understand why people are just shrugging their shoulders at his death.
Thanks for your article, both for the level of detail it provides and the summing up of every hypocritical thing about this murder. I mean, sure, a guy got murdered, and I’m not interested in remembering his name, just as I honestly don’t remember any of the names of the school shootings we’ve had during just the past 10 years. I hope someday to be as desensitized to the murder of CEOs as I am to the murder of children.
And time and resources were spent on THIS murder? THIS murderer’s face is too handsome to publish his photo in mainstream media?
And US healthcare sucks and is one of the main reasons I am probably never going to move back to the US (the other reason is the guns). Sincerely, someone waiting to see an ENT in one of many private clinics open and available within walking distance of my apartment on Saturday morning. This appointment cost me less than $6 USD due to Taiwan’s national healthcare.
YOU make sense. You always make sense. Why does nothing around us in America make any sense at all anymore?? We are truly off the rails.
Preach. As I said to someone who attempted to shake a finger at me for "celebrating" the death of the CEO.
"Celebrating? No. Unmoved? Yes."
Thank you for this. Fired-up Gabrielle is my fav.
Love this! I want the next Democratic nominee to run on universal healthcare. They don’t have to have a single other initiative, just tax billionaires and give people medical, dental, and vision.
Holy shit. ALL. OF. THIS. I found myself almost cheering out loud as I sat and read this alone in my empty house. Thank you.
You sum it up so clearly. Thank you. Ever thought of running for office? You inspire people with your real talk.
Speak!
Best essay on this topic. Thank you, G!
I’m pretty rare in that I have great insurance and honestly have never had issues with it. I pay a very affordable monthly fee that comes out of my salary. I see amazing often out-of-network doctors that have truly changed my life and don’t have to pay anything extra for them. I don’t have to go through some byzantine healthcare system to talk to these doctors - I can simply text them whenever I want. I’m frustrated that’s not the case for everyone and I know it’s because I work at a massive company that has a lot of leverage with health insurance companies.
I feel like the 1943 IRS decision to exempt employer-based health insurance from taxation at least partially contributed to why I have great health insurance. After that IRS ruling, employers were incentivized to provide health insurance to reduce their taxable income while also increasing wages to employees. However, that distinctly disadvantages self-employed people, small business owners, etc who couldn't afford it. A reason I would be hesitant to leave my job to start my own thing is that I wouldn’t want to leave the amazing health benefits we get (maternity leave, fertility benefits, etc). This counters the American ethos of wanting to encourage entrepreneurship to stimulate competition // give people more freedom / control over their professional lives. People shouldn't be at a disadvantage in the health insurance system because they don't work for a massive company!!!! Read this article - I found it very interesting - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/upshot/the-real-reason-the-us-has-employer-sponsored-health-insurance.html.
If anything, I feel like I witness a lot of moral hazard at play. Because I don’t pay anything, I access way more care than is actually beneficial. For example, I am reimbursed at 100% for as much physical therapy I want for my TMJ problems, but it really hasn’t worked for me. But there’s really no downside (minus time, I guess) in going multiple times a week for months, since I don’t pay. I've stopped because I don't love costing the system unnecessary money without improving my outcomes.
I took a class in college by the same guy (David Cutler) that helped Obama with the Affordable Care Act, and it was so illuminating about the complexities and challenges of providing excellent health care to a massive country. We read this article -> https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/06/01/the-cost-conundrum -> which was also super interesting.
(extremely tangential but I highly recommend intraoral massage for TMJ and always mention it to folks because few have heard about it--some PTs will do it, otherwise a good myofascial release massage therapist)
Thank you so much!!! I have done it through a masseuse and through my PT (though they focus more on my neck). It helps a little, but honestly not that much sadly :(
Thanks for the New Yorker article! I recognize the author and he’s written some good stuff, so I’m excited to read it. And maybe you take some ineffective treatments because of your great insurance, but time IS money and I’m sure you wouldn’t have gone except that you kept hoping it would work. I have access to National healthcare and I still dread dragging myself to see the doctor for basic stuff like my long-term eczema (gone less than a week after I got the right creams!) and other basic stuff.
That's true!! I will definitely try everything to stop the pain and yet nothing works :(
I have always really enjoyed Atul Gawande's work - hope you find it interesting (though it's now dated as it was written in 2009, as Obama was tackling healthcare reform).
I love your brain!
I have no love for the healthcare industry in the states. For many years, I had absolutely no medical insurance and was completely panicked whenever I got sick because I have a tendency to get bronchitis that sometimes turns into pneumonia and would never go to the doctors. I truly understand the frustration people have, but vigilantism is not the way to correct this. Whether we want to use the words or not, it’s domestic terrorism plain and simple. As a liberal, I was absolutely appalled at everything regarding Kyle Rittenhouse and how that situation went down. I feel it would be hypocritical of me to condone one act of blatant, pre meditative murder and not the other, just because one shooter was on my side of the political spectrum. And the more I find out about this particular case, the more troubled I get. Yes, United Healthcare seems like a terrible insurance agency, no arguments from me. But the man who was killed was from a working class family in Iowa, who worked on farms growing up. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He got good grades in school, went to college, and worked hard to become a successful businessman. He was married and had two children. The epitome of the American dream. The shooter, on the other hand, WAS BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN HIS MOUTH. His grandparents owned country clubs, nursing homes, and other businesses in Baltimore. He went to a $40,000 prep school and then U Penn. His family is more affluent than the man he killed. I know that mental issues may be behind the shooting. Apparently, the shooter had/has a very painful back condition which many have attributed to a sort mental breakdown, but we’re not sure yet. He never had United Healthcare insurance himself, so personal issues with that company most likely did not play a part in the shooting. I think the response to this entire incident is a slippery slope and very reminiscent of Kyle Rittenhouse, just on the opposite side of the political spectrum. (This is from a lifelong democrat who is extremely pissed and sad about the last election, petrified about what POTUS #47 has in store for us, is pro choice ~ although I don’t think abortion would be as much of an issue if men learned to ejaculate responsibly, and truly understand what a mess the medical/healthcare industry is in the US)
yeah it does kinda bother me that his family made money off of nursing homes. clearly they were chasing profits if they were able to amass their net worth partially due to the nursing home biz.
i think luigi feels guilty about his wealth and privilege that likely arouse from some exploitation of the old & sick (this is all conjecture of course, i just think that's a weird for-profit business to be in), and that's why he acted out.
he could have instead tried to change the healthcare system from within since his family literally owned it. could have dedicated himself to philanthropy given his family's estimated $30-50mn fortune. i think that would have had way more systemic & profound outcomes than murder of a CEO that will just be replaced. i guess i just disagree that violence is a change agent (unless its literally an armed militia that successfully overthrows a gov't)
he could have also ran for office, given his background and wealth, to fight for a different kind of health care system - that's the best way to change things for the good IMO.
idk just feels like he wasted all his privilege tbh when his mind and wealth could have been used in much more productive and beneficial ways. i have to keep the faith that the system can be changed, even if it takes a lot of time, effort, and convincing
There’s an argument to be made that his actions have spurred more conversation and learning about our healthcare system than anything else that has happened in my memory. Will it translate into actual change? Too early to tell. But it’s not wild to imagine a path from the murder of this CEO to universal healthcare.
On a smaller scale, it will be interesting to see how the data comes out, but there are lots of anecdotal reports of insurance claims being approved quickly in the days since the murder. If that is true, what a positive thing for the families affected.
I personally doubt that this murder will lead to the election of a Sanders-esque "Medicare-for-all" politician in four years (though I hope I'm wrong). The best chance for Medicare for all was squandered when the DNC conspired to elect Biden in 2020. Sanders was the clear Democratic frontrunner, but the party seemed to think he was "too left" & would never win a national election.
I guess I always prefer the ethos of "fix your own home / backyard" or whatever. His family was running a business cited by Medicare for having low health inspection ratings. He likely had influence to improve those nursing home residents' and their families' lives without resorting to violence that left two innocent children fatherless.
Unfortunately, private health insurance companies will always find ways to drive profits (reimburse less, raise premiums, increase coverage) because of their corporate governance structure. Brian Thompson & his replacement work for / answer to, and will always answer to, their investors (BlackRock, Vanguard) and their board (Valerie Montgomery Rice, John Noseworthy).
Faster claim approvals over here post-murder will probably mean some more rejections / cost cutting measures over there. If not, they will get fired, and will be replaced by someone else that will pledge to find ways to return the company to profitability.
also I tend to believe in Dr. Sarno's psychosomatic approach to healing back pain. He believed a large percentage of back pain is actually due to repressed emotions (https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446557684) The pain is real, but the cause is your brain, not a structural abnormality. Per Sarno, many people if x-rayed would have the same spinal condition as the shooter, but not all of the would report painful symptoms. He was a surgeon who soon realized surgery didn't help these patients.
Sarno's approach prevented my mom and her three friends from having surgery. Howard Stern was also a famous disciple of Sarno. Once my mom realized her stress and emotions may be attributable to the agonizing, debilitating pack pain she experienced, the pain stopped. She said it was a miracle.
I think he 100% fits the bill .He clearly was a neurotic, intense, perfectionistic type with overbearing parents (see the story about how he was a lefty but his mom made him eat with his right hand to conform to perceived societal standards).
TOTAL conjecture - but I bet he felt no ability to deal or process with his insecurities / feelings of unworthiness. Reporters say he wrote on Reddit about issues in college with "brain fog" but probably he was overwhelmed and stressed because college was so hard, and he was used to nailing it and being the golden child valedictorian in high school. Doctors said there was nothing physically wrong with him. His symptoms were real, but the cause was his own tortured mind.
Kid needed therapy bad!!!!
Please don't use this space to promote the unproven belief that a large percentage of back pain is due to needing therapy. I just dealt with a year of horrible back pain and it had nothing to do with my emotional state or mental health. I'm not unique in this. Your conjectures and assumptions about other people's pain is unnecessary and comes off as cruel — especially when you've noted you have easy access to excellent healthcare yourself, while most people don't.
I referenced a few cases where my mother and her friends said reading Dr. Sarno's book completely eradicated their back pain. I would argue that is some "proof" of success, though obviously it won't work for everyone. It's also studied here, a link to the NIH archive-- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8476063/.
I don't think I suggested that earlier, and I would never want to suggest that. A key tenet of this approach is that you must first ensure an MD confirms you don't have severe causal maladies like cancer, bone disease, etc.
This doctor found that in many cases, back surgery, physical therapy, and repeated visits to costly specialists didn't help his patients at all and instead saddled his patients with medical debt, tough recoveries etc. This was evidently, from what I've read, the case with the shooter. He got a surgery, reported relief for a few weeks, and then was back to experiencing excruciating pain. Sarno found this deeply distressing. His approach is much more affordable and doesn't require expensive treatments at all - simply increasing awareness of your inner world (e.g., by journaling everyday) and how it can contribute to physical pain.
Interesting article here - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/well/mind/john-sarno-chronic-pain-relief.html and his obituary is also interesting - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/science/john-sarno-dead-healing-back-pain-doctor.html.
If I know folks with chronic back pain that isn't getting better and isn't due to an identifiable disease, I encourage them to at least read the book and try his approach because I saw how it changed my mom's life. Of COURSE, I would never promote ignoring anyone's trusted doctors analysis and diagnosis. I guess I just believe in trying everything when I'm in severe pain (as I do with my TMJ - I'm exploring this psychosomatic approach since truly nothing medical has worked to date).
The point is not to be cruel, but rather to help people. People's pain is AGONIZING and often incurable with traditional medicine (e.g., surgeries, PT, etc). The PAIN is real, the CAUSE may not always be structural abnormalities. I have incredibly deep empathy for people with chronic pain they can't overcome - I myself experience it with TMJ.
The mind body connection is quite well researched. I took a college class with Ellen Langer who conducted many studies that documented the profound mind body connection. It was life-changing for me to learn about (https://www.amazon.com/Counterclockwise-Mindful-Health-Power-Possibility/dp/1501265288).
I am totally conjecturing about the shooter, but I think the whole world is as well as everyone attempts to better understand what drove him to murder. He was not a customer of United Health Care so likely did not have personal experience with them. I know he tried everything for his back pain and it didn't help (at least that's my understanding - I'm sure more will come out). That's HELL and would drive anyone to madness. I just wish he could have found relief before self-isolating from his friends and family for six months to a year.
Thank you. My chronic back pain comes from years of catching 800 sheep by their back legs 3 times a year. Nothing psychological about that. Baa 🐑
Are there any instances where you think “vigilantism” is justified?
For murder? No. There isn’t a set of rules for one side of politics that doesn’t affect the other. People who stock pile guns waiting for the call to bear arms in a civil war of civilian militias are considered vigilantes on the far right. Do you agree with that mindset? I certainly do not. It terrifies me. So I have to apply those same principles to people on the left, even if I understand or even empathise with their reasoning. Taking the law into one’s own hands, in my opinion, will not fix the problem. I believe it will only create further unrest and division.
I also feel dehumanization of billionaires is wrong. Do I believe that there should be billionaires, no. But throughout history, the dehumanization of certain groups of people has led to making murder tolerable or justifiable. The minute we see people as less than human, their lives have less meaning than our own. Jews in the Holocaust, Muslims in the Bosnian war, the Tutsi’s in Rwanda, etc., were all dehumanized to justify their killing to the populations in which these atrocities took place. I know those are extreme examples, and billionaires are not an ethnic or religious minority. They are over privileged people who are most likely out of touch with most of the population, but I don’t believe that is a good reason for their murders. The Russian revolution began with overthrowing the monarchy and murder of the Czar & family which eventually turned into The Soviet Union led by Lenin and then Stalin. Were the people better off under these two dictators? I believe the millions who perished under their reigns would point to no.
A super interesting study I read once in college (psych major over here) is that actually most Americans (regardless of political ideology) secretly think that one day they too could be, or might be, millionares. The top 1% of income earners in America make something like $1.5mn a year, which most Americans say they aspire to and think is possible.
So, they don't want to implement aggressively progressive taxes on the top 1% because they think that they might get there themselves and wouldn't want super high taxes if so.
Even though that would be highly unlikely to occur, as they would have to be richer than 99% of their fellow Americans. These people would benefit much more from a progressive tax system since they will likely never be in the top 1%, and yet they identify with the top 1%.
Yeah, I'm kind of eye-rolling at people like Taylor Swift and Oprah with supposed progressive politics. Until you're giving away your wealth and living in one normal sized home, I don't really respect you. I get so grossed out by the multiple massive homes owned by these people.
Give your money to people who cannot afford a home at all and suffer from extreme anxiety about making their rent at all.
I know revolutions can end very badly—anyone who read Animal Farm can understand how they can go wrong. Sometimes people know that and still see it as an acceptable risk compared to the current situation. At the very least, different pigs would be in charge. Hopefully this incident will be a wake up call so that we can see some real reforms instead of protecting the status quo.
I don’t have a problem with dehumanizing billionaires, and while I don’t personally condone murder, I do think that billionaires need to face some sort of reckoning. Murder was extreme, but is there any way to hold billionaires accountable? Just continue to root for the orcas that destroy their yachts?
When you say billionaires need to be held accountable, do you mean all billionaires? Like the Taylor Swifts / Oprahs of the world? Or just the Gates, Walton, Bloomberg type of businessman billionaires. To me, I have a problem w/ all of them.
it's very simple: stop resource hoarding & give away your net worth. They all have way more than they or their children could ever possibly need. They could quietly pay off so many people's medical debt today if they wanted.
Yes, I think all billionaires should be held accountable. They should all pay more taxes. They should not be able to donate so much money to influence elections. And if their companies are being sued for unethical practices, they should not be able to buy their way out of it.
Allyson, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by dehumanization of billionaires. If billionaires are called monsters or vermin, then yes, I agree that's dehumanization. But I would not consider calling for billionaires to be taxes to be a form of dehumanization.
Brian Thompson dehumanized people for profit. As CEO, he oversaw policies that led to United Healthcare denying 1 out of every 3 claims made by doctors on their patients' behalf. Before he died, he was being sued for using AI—not doctors—to deny/delay claims made by the elderly. Thompson created record profits for the company and its shareholders, and the way he did this was through policies that *denied the humanity* of the insured. To even glancingly compare him to victims of genocide when he was the instigator of tremendous suffering feels backwards. Rather he reminds me of the Nazi Hermann Göring—not a raving anti-semite like Hitler and Goebbels but fine with dehumanization because 1) his superiors told him to do it and 2) the job came with some perks, like looted treasure. His defense at Nuremberg—essentially, I was out of touch—did not play well.
Yes, when the rules are clearly unfair (though lots of people have very different rules for what is unfair). I would like to believe that I would promote the civil disobedience of MLK, Jr., but I would rationalize my violence if someone harmed my children and I didn’t think the system would get them justice. Violence is meant to be a last resort. The fact that so many people are ok with resorting to it should tell those in charge of justice something.
That is a tough question. In the CEO case no. But I can understand the motivation and the extreme frustration that led to it. Don’t condone it but understand it.
For example, if someone harmed my child badly, nothing happened to the culprit, who continued to harm other children - I don’t know. I may be capable of such a thing in that case.
But in general I think killing people, vigilantism, etc are not ok. Shouldn’t happen. But justified? As in „is it just“? In some cases yes. It would still be morally wrong to end a life IMO.
It is not an easy question with and easy, one size fits all answer. 💚🌺
Coming from the working class and working your way up to millionaire isn’t an excuse for having no moral compass and creating, implementing and enforcing policies that kill and hurt people. Greed is an ugly thing- enriching oneself at great expense to others is grotesque.
And I don’t condone murdering people ever. Killing in self defense is another story.
There are no winners in this story but the ridiculous health care system in the USA needs complete reform.
I live in France and Germany and zero people in these countries go bankrupt over medical debt.
I think the also incredibly distressing thing in the US is that doctors may also be trying to maximize revenue when giving care to patients - prescribing costly treatments that do not necessarily improve patient outcomes - described here -https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/06/01/the-cost-conundrum).
That is so depressing to me - its not just the insurance providers, it's doctors, hospital administrators, hospital executives. I think Americans culturally love and valorize wealth over so many other things.
Yes to all this. Also want to give a shout-out to my niece, who is part of the team at the Economic Policy Institute who calculates the CEO pay - worker pay statistics: https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2023/
I am one of those people who was surprised and disappointed by the responses to the murder of Brian Thompson.
I agree with everything you say about health care in America. I agree that we should have universal health care paid for by taxes. I have been an active advocate for this change both professionally and personally. And I am dismayed by income inequality. As a former leader of an organization I took concrete steps to help ensure that I wasn't part of the problem.
And I am equally dismayed (actually blown away and frightened) by the fact that more than half of voters chose a cruel, uneducated, man to be our next President.
There has been a distinct loss of civility in the US. In addition, there has been an attack on our judicial system and rule of law. As a minority, a minority that has been othered and discriminated against, I am frightened for myself but, mostly for my children and grandchildren.
In is in the above context that I was disappointed that so many either praised the actions of the shooter, held him up as a hero, or were simply ok with the murder of Brian. Every time the shooter was praised, each time someone dismissed his actions because they were "justified," a message is sent that vigilante justice is ok.
I do not agree that there was no cause for alarm because the shooter only targeted a specific, white, wealthy man whose job they believed warranted his death. There are many white, wealth people who work for companies that you and I would probably agree do a great deal of harm. Would you have the same response to the killing of gun manufacturer CEOs? Or the killing of the CEO of a cigarette manufacturer.
A civil society does not condone the murder of a human being because we believe he is part of a problem with how our society cares for its citizens.
I share the above not to try to change anyone's mind but, instead to respond to your surprise that someone would not praise, justify, condone or in another way think the killing of Brian Thompson was ok.
“Would you have the same response to the killing of gun manufacturer CEOs? “
Yes.
Would I rather have the state require accountability from the CEO for guns being the number one cause of death for children in America? Also yes.
Would I be surprised if someone whose life was destroyed by gun violence was tired of working and waiting for accountability, and took action themselves? No.
Thank you for your response. Though I do not know you personally, I have been following your social media for many years, have read your books and am a big fan. On this topic we simply disagree.
Do you support the death penalty? Do you think you could live with yourself if you or your child murdered a gun manufacturer CEO or the health insurance CEO? What would you say if your child was the one that went from UPenn to murdering a CEO and then likely spending life in prison? Would you think that the harm caused to your family by your son/daughter having to spend a life in prison was offset by the lives he may or may not help?
I don't think I would ever be able to murder a murderer. I truly think (easy for me to say, I haven't had to put this to test in any extreme way) that you find more peace of mind in finding deep empathy and forgiveness for everyone, even those that committed the most horrifying atrocities.
I guess that's my yogi belief in nonviolence talking.
I agree with this completely. Brian Thompson was someone’s son, husband, and father. His kids have to live with the fact that his brutal death is preserved on video. I 100% think our health care system needs change, but violence is not the way to do that. I also wonder if Thompson had been murdered in a random act of violence like a mugging gone wrong rather than shot by a good-looking, upper-class, well-educated guy that we would be having this conversation.
Thank you for every bit of this. Time is way past for this discussion - for this honesty.
Bravo!!! Yet again you make total sense. Thanks for all you do for us -- keeping us informed and making us think!
When I first heard this story I *immediately* thought, "oh...this isn't random. This is symbolic."
I now live in Canada where we have problems with our health care (sure), but I have a great family doctor, have had every test I've needed done, and did not walk out of my one ER experience with ANY bills. It's like a miracle, honestly, when you're from the US. I one time was telling a group of my friends here that we paid (in health insurance, hospital, and doc fees combined) over $10K for my very healthy baby and normal delivery. They said, "You got a BILL????" That was 17 years ago. It still makes me laugh thinking of their incredulousness.
I chat with a lot of people from the US when they're visiting (this often happens when I share a ski lift with them), and every single one (!!) asks me about the healthcare and they are AMAZED when I say it's just fine, and if the US had it similarly, everyone would think after about 5 years... "What the heck did we wait so long for?" -- no matter what political side you're on.
I'm not sure if you listen to Pantsuit Politics podcast, but Sarah said something excellent about this topic the other day. She said, "Is this a thing that people should be making lots and lots of money at? Because that's where you get the rage. That's where you get people online not feeling an ounce of guilt and being completely disconnected from the fact that this is a real man who was gunned down, who has children, is because the profit model is an invitation to dehumanize because it is dehumanizing on the other side. So if you're going to dehumanize me to make a profit, then I'm not going to feel bad about dehumanizing you when some of that blows back. I think that's where people are at. And I'm not saying it's ethical, moral or right. I'm just saying they feel dehumanized by the system. And so they are more than happy to dehumanize those that benefit from said system." (link: https://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/show-archives/2024/12/6/everything-is-different)
.... and I thought.... THAT. That is exactly right! It's dehumanizing from top to bottom.
No one even seemed to notice a few years ago when one of the huge bigwigs of an insurance company apologized in early covid for KNOWINGLY LYING to US citizens by marketing "socialist" propaganda about Canadian healthcare *for the fact that they would loose money* if people chose medicare for all. I think his guilty conscience was getting to him....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/08/06/health-insurance-canada-lie/?arc404=true
Remember that healthy baby. up there? That was back in 2007, and we got SCREWED on our insurance (we even paid pregnancy insurance 6+ mo before we even got pregnant!)...after that, I cut them off. I was never going to spend another DIME on this unethical racket that only exists to *make money for their shareholders*.
At the end of the day, I don't condone his violence, but I can understand why people are just shrugging their shoulders at his death.
Thanks for your article, both for the level of detail it provides and the summing up of every hypocritical thing about this murder. I mean, sure, a guy got murdered, and I’m not interested in remembering his name, just as I honestly don’t remember any of the names of the school shootings we’ve had during just the past 10 years. I hope someday to be as desensitized to the murder of CEOs as I am to the murder of children.
And time and resources were spent on THIS murder? THIS murderer’s face is too handsome to publish his photo in mainstream media?
And US healthcare sucks and is one of the main reasons I am probably never going to move back to the US (the other reason is the guns). Sincerely, someone waiting to see an ENT in one of many private clinics open and available within walking distance of my apartment on Saturday morning. This appointment cost me less than $6 USD due to Taiwan’s national healthcare.