WASHINGTON — Two of the biggest critics of the U.S. health care system condemned the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson while calling out “vile” insurance company practices aimed at maximizing profits.
“The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told HuffPost in an interview on Tuesday when asked about the cold response to Thompson’s death, which included celebratory posts on social media.
“Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far,” Warren added. “This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in the ability of their government to make change, lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone.”
After drawing some criticism for her remarks, Warren clarified her comments in a statement provided to HuffPost on Wednesday.
“Violence is never the answer. Period,” the senator said. “I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called Thompson’s killing “outrageous” and “unacceptable” before similarly criticizing insurance company practices.
“I think what the outpouring of anger at the health care industry tells us is that millions of people understand that health care is a human right and that you cannot have people in the insurance industry rejecting needed health care for people while they make billions of dollars in profit,” Sanders said.
Both senators have long advocated for a single-payer system like Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal to address the high cost of health care in the U.S., which has left many families struggling with unmanageable hospital bills.
The motives of the suspect in Thompson’s death, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, who was charged with murder Tuesday, remain unknown, but police found shell casings at the scene inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose,” possibly a reference to health insurance industry practices aimed at stalling insurance claims.
The killing has prompted an outpouring of glee from some who suggested Thompson, who is survived by two teenage children, got what he deserved. It also inspired people to share their own horror stories of having coverage denied, either for themselves, for family members, or for their patients.
“The number of people I personally hear from, both in my official capacity and as somebody who stops and talks to people in the grocery store about how hard it is to get medical care that people have paid their insurance companies for over and over and over, is a reminder that this system is just broken,” Warren told HuffPost.
Democrats have sought to shut down efforts to glorify the killing, despite the anger toward the health care industry.
“Hear me on this — he is no hero. ... In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to express policy differences or a viewpoint,” Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) said in a Monday news conference detailing the latest developments on the case after Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.
Democracy In The Balance
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) also criticized “vile” social media posts for celebrating an “asshole that’s going to die in prison.”
“Congratulations if you want to celebrate that. A sewer is going to sewer,” Fetterman told HuffPost.
“If you gun someone down that you don’t happen to agree with their views or the business that they’re in, hey, you know, I’m next, they’re next,” he added. “And people want to celebrate it. It’s twisted.”