UnitedHealthcare CEO Assassinated In NYC

GoblinCampFollower

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This may be likely in your eyes, but it sounds like speculation either way. Do we have any supporting evidence of prior political concern?
It's certainly deep speculation. The people in charge have an incentive to want to NOT reward the shooter by admitting that was a factor, but we have no idea how much it might have been in their minds.
 

Innula Zenovka

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This may be likely in your eyes, but it sounds like speculation either way. Do we have any supporting evidence of prior political concern?
According to the article to which Goblin linked,
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield told providers in New York, Connecticut, Missouri and Colorado that beginning in February, it would use Medicare metrics to determine payment rates for anesthesia, which is based on how long and complex a procedure is. [....]
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) initially sent a letter to Anthem protesting the policy in November, calling it a “cynical money grab” and urging Anthem to reverse it immediately.
Would it normally take a shooting to make Democratic lawmakers criticise so outrageous a change that directly affected their constituents?
 

GoblinCampFollower

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Would it normally take a shooting to make Democratic lawmakers criticise so outrageous a change that directly affected their constituents?
of course not! But the shooting likely had a huge impact on the insurance executives they were negotiating with. But still, I admit this is just speculation.
 

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I think part of the problem is that in addition to income inequality, we have a substantial imbalance between people who necessarily live in fear of reprisal for imagined slights... and others who fear no retaliation at all for their massive overreach.

CEO's feel too safe and secure, it enables and emboldens them to make increasingly harmful choices.

They need to understand they're not untouchable and that their actions ultimately impact their own safety, especially when the judicial system and 'the social contract' fails to protect the masses from them.

I'm not for absolving those who resort to violent revenge, taking justice into their own hands like that is a crime. But if that's an act they're willing to lose their life or liberty over.... I respect that.
 

Kamilah Hauptmann

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I think part of the problem is that in addition to income inequality, we have a substantial imbalance between people who necessarily live in fear of reprisal for imagined slights... and others who fear no retaliation at all for their massive overreach.

CEO's feel too safe and secure, it enables and emboldens them to make increasingly harmful choices.

They need to understand they're not untouchable and that their actions ultimately impact their own safety, especially when the judicial system and 'the social contract' fails to protect the masses from them.

I'm not for absolving those who resort to violent revenge, taking justice into their own hands like that is a crime. But if that's an act they're willing to lose their life or liberty over.... I respect that.
Something I posted years ago:

I saw an episode of Dragon's Den years back, and there was an interesting dynamic. One of the dragons pushed hard to put one over on the other dragon he'd be obliged to be working with. He was positively giddy, it was all the hunt to him, thinking nothing of future consequences of having to deal with these others in the future. The other dragon said to him, "I'm not sure if I want to work with you at all after what you just pulled." And the pushy dragon backed off, realizing he was not gaining anything with his tiny win and fucking himself going forward in all future deals. Prisoners dilemma, yo.
 

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I would love to be able to depend on a justice system that is fair and for everyone. I also believe everyone should follow the law.

Since billionaires and big companies are ”taking the law into their own hands” and there are rarely any consequences because they often have power over the government, I’m not sure there is a whole lot of choice. Unless consequences are only for the powerless.
 

Isabeau

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Something I posted years ago:

I saw an episode of Dragon's Den years back, and there was an interesting dynamic. One of the dragons pushed hard to put one over on the other dragon he'd be obliged to be working with. He was positively giddy, it was all the hunt to him, thinking nothing of future consequences of having to deal with these others in the future. The other dragon said to him, "I'm not sure if I want to work with you at all after what you just pulled." And the pushy dragon backed off, realizing he was not gaining anything with his tiny win and fucking himself going forward in all future deals. Prisoners dilemma, yo.
Exactly. They will step over the line over and over again figuring that if it works, great! If it doesn’t, oh well, so sorry… Then they will try it another way. It isn’t like much harm will come to them. Worst scenario, they’ll pay a fine.

And with more conservative governments being voted in, they know “justice” will mostly lean towards them.
 

Beebo Brink

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Would it normally take a shooting to make Democratic lawmakers criticise so outrageous a change that directly affected their constituents?
ETA -- I'm losing track of what I've read where, but this feels like an unproductive avenue (on my part, not yours). Whether or not the shooting had any effect on the policy reversal is another of those unknowables, unless someone spills the beans from the inside.
 
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Beebo Brink

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Argent Stonecutter

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Its also part of why Urgent Care facilities have become more common. Because they are sort of an in between to serve the purpose many go to the ER for (non life threatening harm).
And then there's the storefronts that look like Urgent Care clinics but are run by hospitals and charge like they're an ER. Because there's nothing wrong with satisfying your Fiduciary Duty to the Stockholders over the corpse of the Hippocratic Oath.
 

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And then there's the storefronts that look like Urgent Care clinics but are run by hospitals and charge like they're an ER. Because there's nothing wrong with satisfying your Fiduciary Duty to the Stockholders over the corpse of the Hippocratic Oath.
Guess who runs a bunch of those?

Did you guess UHC?
 

Anya Ristow

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I'm not glad the murder happened. I am glad the depth of people's rage is being made known.

The pearl clutchers, the trust fund pundits who have great health insurance that they don't really even need to depend on, are going to try to bury the fury, and discredit it if they can't, but I don't think they are fooling anyone. They are just marking themselves as out of touch.
 

Zaida Gearbox

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It seems clear from the message written on the bullets that the shooter lost someone important to him due to the evil practices of UHC. If I were on a jury for him, I don't think I could convict him of murder - maybe manslaughter. I'd also be totally willing to entertain an insanity defense. Because I keep thinking if I lost a loved one due to an insurance company's malfeasance - especially Spawn or Hubman - someone would have to fucking restrain me from doing something like this.

I work in insurance. I get that insurance companies exist to make money. BUT, I think their primary responsibility should be to their policy holders - not the share holders. I also think that a HUGE part of the problem is our insurance being connected to our jobs, so most people really have no choice over who their insurance is. If I don't like my car insurance - I can change companies. I cannot change my health insurance - unless I change jobs (or hubman does since I'm on his insurance).

Hubman said as CEO that the dude probably wasn't even aware of the claims in question. I countered as CEO he sets the policiees and the buck stops with him. I mean why go after some low level claims examiner who has no control over said policies - we just have to follow them or lose our jobs. Go after the bastard who sets those policies.
 

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I’m as shocked that the crooks think we believe they are working hard to offer us the best possible health care as they are to discover that we know exactly what they’re actually doing.
 

Fionalein

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Funny how they still hope to get the shooter and deliver justice...
By all we know he could as well be a dead man walking by now, terminally ill because of some denied treatment in the past... If that's the case and they catch him, what will they gonna do to him? Sentence him to death? Just like the CEO might already have done before?

In hindsight this was bound to happen, and it will happen again. Denying the right to live to a person who has nothing to loose was never a good idea.

Do not press a desperate foe too hard Sun Tzu
 

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Companies step up security in wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO killing
Companies are closing headquarters, scrubbing their websites of top executives’ photographs and increasing armed security details for key leaders following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Health insurer Medica temporarily closed its Minnetonka, Minnesota, headquarters as a safety precaution, a spokesperson told CNN. “We closed the HQ out of an abundance of caution following the shooting” of Thompson, the spokesperson said in an email.
CVS and other health care companies have removed photographs of CEOs and other executive leaders from their websites after Thompson’s killing early Wednesday morning outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan.

It’s common for top executives of major corporations to have personal security provided by their companies. But companies in a wide range of industries are racing to enhance security measures for executives in the wake of the killing.
There's something about this that feels...incredibly naïve, let's says.
 

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Funny how they still hope to get the shooter and deliver justice...
By all we know he could as well be a dead man walking by now, terminally ill because of some denied treatment in the past... If that's the case and they catch him, what will they gonna do to him? Sentence him to death? Just like the CEO might already have done before?
Yeah, I am sure the shooter knew there was a good chance they would get caught or killed by a body guard or something. They probably already made peace with death and I dount there is anything that could be threatened even if they are not the one dying of ailment.