What celebrations of the death of an insurance CEO tell us about US healthcare

Reaction to Brian Thompson's murder reveals deep anger about the unfairness of the industry writes Richard Holl

- Richard Holl

When the CEO of one of the largest medical insurance companies in the United States was shot dead on the street in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, his death quickly turned into a larger conversation about the much-reviled industry in which he worked. Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, had been in New York City for a conference when he was killed in what police believe was a targeted shooting.

Among hundreds of posts on social media about the shocking murder, many people were moved to talk about the injustice of the health insurance industry. Often the dark jokes on X, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok spoke to how cruel medical insurance companies can be to their customers. Some even wrote folk songs about the event.

“The bullet hit the CEO outside of his allotted benefit window, so he’s not eligible for emergency treatment,” wrote one person on X in response to a post about the killing. One Reddit user posted: “A man is dead, and no one really cares. Huh. Sounds like business as usual for United Health isn’t it?” An announcement on the Facebook page of UnitedHealthcare announcing Thompson’s death had 42,000 laugh emoji reactions by Thursday afternoon.

Others shared personal stories about how the health insurance industry had denied their loved ones coverage or laden them with debt. “His company put multiple of my family members in debt they will be paying for the rest of their lives & denied care for my uncle which led to his death. Brian Thompson killed people. Full stop,” wrote one person. “Remembering the day United Healthcare denied a one-night hospital stay for my 12yo child as ‘medically unnecessary’ following ASD heart repair surgery,” wrote another.