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Original poster

AIBU to say I'm surprised a healthcare CEO hasn't been assassinated sooner?

296 replies

Chowtime · 05/12/2024 12:44

Obviously what's happened in America with regard to Brian Thompson is awful but surely it was only a matter of time before someone revolted against their billionaire dollar profits and lack of payouts for individuals who've paid in for years.

OP posts:
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DanielaDressen · 07/12/2024 07:49

I think the shooter probably will be caught and I hate to admit it but there’s a little part of me which is hoping he gets away with it. Which I admit is not a good thing to hope for. I’ve surprised myself I think by my feelings. But the more I read about this CEO and the company the more horrified I am……he has happily overseen and endorsed the premature deaths of so many people. 🤷‍♀️

the NYPD have worked out so many things already, ie the shooter arrived in New York on a bus from Atlanta. They will follow the trail. I’m guessing they have been scouring cctv footage prior to the shooting all over the city for someone in that coat/backpack. He probably should have done a few more outfit changes, ideally in a bush in the middle of Central Park. He might have got away with it then.

Interlaken · 07/12/2024 07:15

RawBloomers · 07/12/2024 04:26

It’s been discussed by several politicians and media personalities. The argument goes - high US costs for medical care, especially medication underwrite the development of new drugs and techniques that then get used by people all over the world at a lesser cost.

There may be validity to the idea that some very effective treatments would not be developed if the US didn’t pay such exorbitant prices for medical care. Drug development, especially, is significantly higher in the US. But it’s still a very contested argument and places with much lower health care costs, like Germany, also produce significantly more new drugs than the average country.

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But the obvious solution to this is to vote for a candidate who will restructure the system to the benefit of Americans.

The people voting for this are not Europeans, but those whining!

WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout · 07/12/2024 07:14

Sandwichgen · 07/12/2024 05:56

I’’m sitting here wondering if, should the killer prove to be a bereaved parent whose child died due to health insurance decision-making, I would contribute to a fund for his/her defence. I think I would

I probably would also.

Yankacrossthepond · 07/12/2024 06:33

Given the level of hate that has blossomed in this country in the last 10 years or so, it is no surprise at all. Since that time, the "Make America Hate Again" has really taken ahold. I only see things getting worse!

Lowcarbonated · 07/12/2024 06:04

I'm surprised now you say it. If and when the shooter is caught they will be lauded as a hero by many. Rightly so.

Sandwichgen · 07/12/2024 05:56

I’’m sitting here wondering if, should the killer prove to be a bereaved parent whose child died due to health insurance decision-making, I would contribute to a fund for his/her defence. I think I would

Simonjt · 07/12/2024 05:43

Theunamedcat · 05/12/2024 19:04

And today a health care company announced they were stopping paying for anastasia if your operation goes longer than expected

It's like they don't value human life

To be fair I don’t think there are any health systems who pay for Anastasia.

KittenPause · 07/12/2024 05:35

I wonder who is next

KittenPause · 07/12/2024 05:35

He wouldn't need to be a professional in the US because of course so many have guns so can practice whenever they like

I wonder whose next

KittenPause · 07/12/2024 05:28

I had no idea healthcare was so utterly corrupt in the US till now

DifferentLandscape · 07/12/2024 05:03

nfkl · 05/12/2024 15:00

There is a short story by Dino Buzzatti where suddenly, one day, the most powerful person in the world drops dead, no foul play, nothing, just dead. And the next week, the 2nd most powerful person drops dead as well, and the week after, the next most powerful person etc. etc.

In a few weeks, most of the world's problems were solved because nobody wanted to be powerful anymore ...

I often dream of this short story.

@nfkl do you know the title of the story? Thanks!

IAm16StoneHalloween2024 · 07/12/2024 05:03

I wonder how many other unsolved murders there were in New York this month/year/decade.

Monty27 · 07/12/2024 04:56

EverybodyHatesWasps · 07/12/2024 04:41

I'll have it on pre order faster than UHC can deny a claim.

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Love it

EverybodyHatesWasps · 07/12/2024 04:41

Monty27 · 07/12/2024 04:13

I can't wait to read crime thriller.
It's a dam good plot. I'm intrigued.

I'll have it on pre order faster than UHC can deny a claim.

RawBloomers · 07/12/2024 04:26

CulturalNomad · 05/12/2024 20:56

You mean Americans think they are paying for the UK's healthcare? I'm American and I've never heard that. Usually these things stem from a misunderstanding but I have no idea what would even be misunderstood to reach that conclusion

Same here. I have literally never heard anyone say that. If you're talking about nonsense people post on Reddit or YouTube.... I think we can all agree there's no shortage of stupid on the internet!

It's definitely not a widely held belief.

It’s been discussed by several politicians and media personalities. The argument goes - high US costs for medical care, especially medication underwrite the development of new drugs and techniques that then get used by people all over the world at a lesser cost.

There may be validity to the idea that some very effective treatments would not be developed if the US didn’t pay such exorbitant prices for medical care. Drug development, especially, is significantly higher in the US. But it’s still a very contested argument and places with much lower health care costs, like Germany, also produce significantly more new drugs than the average country.

Monty27 · 07/12/2024 04:13

I can't wait to read crime thriller.
It's a dam good plot. I'm intrigued.

KillerTomato7 · 07/12/2024 04:02

It’s obviously an awful thing, but given they’re a country that’s decided that the repeated massacre of schoolchildren is just the price of freedom, I wouldn’t be losing sleep over it either.

BettyBardMacDonald · 07/12/2024 03:52

Mrsbloggz · 05/12/2024 12:58

I'm sure lots of billionaires will be feeling very nervous now.
Not that I am in any way shape or form in favor of vigilanteism but at the same time . . . he really had it coming😬

He gloried in boosting profits by causing pain, suffering and death. I can't find it in me to shed a tear.

InterIgnis · 07/12/2024 02:23

LookingForAHandHold · 06/12/2024 23:26

I think what's becoming obvious is they've lost the shooter.

A very plain, unmemorable face, and realistically from the second picture it could be a woman.

I’m not sure the shooter and the person they’ve released the photo of are one and the same.

CulturalNomad · 07/12/2024 00:54

izimbra · 06/12/2024 23:24

I read that half of all parents in the USA whose children are diagnosed with cancer end up declaring bankruptcy.

I wonder if this is true. As someone whose teenage son was diagnosed with leukaemia 2 years ago, I can't even begin to imagine the fear of facing losing your home on top of facing losing your child to a horrible disease. :-(

Any business model which relies for profits on people being denied healthcare is morally untenable in my view.

It's really difficult to verify claims like that. In 2022 there were approx. 380,000 bankruptcies filed in the USA. That's roughly 0.1% of the population. Even if half of that was due to medical bills (and that can't be verified) it's a tiny percentage of the number of families being treated for cancer.

Interestingly, roughly the same percentage of Canadians declare bankruptcy each year with a portion of those being attributed to medical debt. Very different healthcare system.

While nobody should be crippled by medical debt in such a wealthy country and the current model of healthcare is awash in inequities, I think Mumsnet thinks that "most Americans" carry huge medical debt and the statistics just don't bear that out.

HeddaGarbled · 07/12/2024 00:51

I think what's becoming obvious is they've lost the shooter

They’ll find him, probably quite soon.

ssd · 07/12/2024 00:43

@Ghouella , you're not wrong.

claratheskivvy · 07/12/2024 00:08

Moresweetsplease · 06/12/2024 22:43

Its sad really, this man probably thought he had it all. Super rich, head of massive company, had a wife and kids to share his money with - but now look at his legacy?

There are so many people either outright glad he is dead or sharing testimonies of United Healthcare screwed them over etc. This was his mark on the world.

There are more important things in life than how much money you hoard.

Edited

Yeah, I'd rather not be remembered than be remembered for something bad and for leaving a legacy of death, grief and disability.

Ghouella · 06/12/2024 23:42

When are people going to wake up and realise that the project of the super rich is to enslave everyone that isn't them?

As they actively dismantle our democratic structures to consolidate their power and wealth whilst destroying the literal ecosystem of our planet that we rely on to survive. We are just by-products to them, human waste. The policies implemented by this man make it abundantly clear that he shared this view of the "common" man.

Why defend them or have any sympathy for them. Should the gazelle weep for the crocodile? Every time someone like this is brought down (ideally by legal means but that is increasingly impossible) it is an emancipation for the rest of human kind. I wish it could keep going until there were none left, humanity might stand a f*cking chance.

Ghouella · 06/12/2024 23:30

This man has mercilessly implemented policy leading directly to the deaths, ruin and suffering of thousands of Americans. For them there can be no justice, no realistic way to hold him to account nor to diminish his power. This killer who was not a "murderer" because his indifference to human life was sanctioned by the system. Because of shareholders.

I do sanction this killing. It's self defence. I'm glad it happened, I hope he killer gets away with it and I hope it happens again. I'm not ashamed to say that at all.

Preferably, the system would be dramatically restructured so that vigilante assassination wasn't the best option available. No it probably won't change anything but I actually think it's better than nothing.