Shoot one man...

The killing of the insurance executive has led to some very interesting discussion. 

See Murdered Insurance CEO Had Deployed an AI to Automatically Deny Benefits for Sick People. 

Many people online are siding with the shooter. 

While I do not, I can understand the pain of those who have watched loved one's die as a result of being denied coverage they felt was necessary. According to ValuePenguin, UHC had the highest denial rate in the industry, twice the average.

Last November, the estates of two former UHC patients filed suit in Minnesota alleging that the insurer used an AI algorithm to deny and override claims to elderly patients that had been approved by their doctors.

The algorithm in question, known as nH Predict, allegedly had a 90 percent error rate — and according to the families of the two deceased men who filed the suit, UHC knew it.

As that lawsuit made its way through the courts, anger regarding the massive insurer's predilection towards denying claims has only grown, and speculation about the assassin's motives suggests that he may have been among those upset with UHC's coverage.

Though we don't yet know the identity of the person who shot Thompson nor his reasoning, reports claim that he wrote the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" on the shell casing of the bullets used to shoot the CEO — a message that makes it sound a lot like the killer was aggrieved against the insurance industry's aggressive denials of coverage to sick patients.

Beyond the shooter's own motives, it's clear from the shockingly celebratory reaction online to Thompson's murder that anger about the American insurance and healthcare system has reached the point of literal bloodlust.

As The American Prospect so aptly put it, "only about 50 million customers of America’s reigning medical monopoly might have a motive to exact revenge upon the UnitedHealthcare CEO."

A friend of mine was recently denied the most basic testing for his wife, which was requested by Scripps, she died a month or two later of pancreatic cancer. In a similar situation, I could see myself getting very angry.

Ever prescient, I wrote about this very subject in October, Evi(L)Core is denying your insurance claims.

The biggest player is a company called EviCore by Evernorth, which is hired by major American insurance companies and provides coverage to 100 million consumers — about 1 in 3 insured people. It is owned by the insurance giant Cigna.

A ProPublica and Capitol Forum investigation found that EviCore uses an algorithm backed by artificial intelligence, which some insiders call “the dial,” that it can adjust to lead to higher denials. Some contracts ensure the company makes more money the more it cuts health spending. And it issues medical guidelines that doctors have said delay and deny care for patients.

They have very good pictures of the assassin's face, I predict that he will be apprehended shortly if he does not take his own life first. It will be somewhat interesting to hear his story and justifications.

*

Words On Ammo Used In CEO's Shooting Echo Tactics Used By Insurers

A message left at the scene of an insurance executive’s fatal shooting — “deny,” “defend” and “depose” — echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.

UnitedHealthcare provides coverage for more than 49 million Americans and brought in more than $281 billion in revenue last year as one of the nation’s largest health insurers. UnitedHealthcare and its rivals have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors, patients and lawmakers in recent years for denying claims or complicating access to care.

Critics say insurers are increasingly interfering with even routine care, causing delays that can, in some cases, hurt a patient’s chances for recovery or even survival.

Doctors and patients have become particularly frustrated with prior authorizations, which are requirements that an insurer approve surgery or care before it happens.

This was the remark that hit me the hardest:

"When you shoot one man in the street it's murder. When you kill thousands of people in hospitals by taking away their ability to get treatment you're an entrepreneur," an X user wrote.