More than two-thirds of respondents in a new poll say that the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in early December was partly to blame for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They answered that they believed that this was due to the denial of insurance coverage and benefits.
Thompson was shot to death on the streets of Manhattan. His attacker went on the run and a nationwide manhunt began, but it ended when Luigi Mangione, who was arrested at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Mangione's purported writings showed that he was angry at the U.S. medical industry and viewed it as exploitative.
The executive's death also sparked an outpouring of public outrage at the health care industry, with many Americans taking to social media to share their harrowing stories of America's profit-based health care system.
Almost 70% of respondents said they were “very” or “somewhat” responsible for “health insurance companies denying health coverage.” 67% said that “profits earned by health insurance companies'' are “a great deal'' or a “moderate'' liability.
Twenty percent of respondents to a new poll said the “person who committed the murder” was “only slightly” or “not at all responsible” for Thompson's death. Meanwhile, 78% said the person had a “huge” or “moderate amount” of responsibility.
The poll was conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago and surveyed 1,001 participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. All participants were over the age of 18. The survey was conducted from December 12th to December 16th.
Americans are paying attention to news about CEO killings, according to the poll, with 73% of respondents saying they had heard about the killing of the United Healthcare CEO “a lot” or “somewhat”. 27% said they could only hear a little or not at all.
58% of respondents said they had never personally had a problem with health insurance. 57% said they had never had a problem with a close family member, and 53% said a close friend had never had a problem.
However, 15% have personally had a claim denied, 13% have had trouble obtaining prior authorization, and 16% have had difficulty finding a suitable provider within their covered network. 7% said they had no health insurance.
Forty-one percent of respondents said they were “not very concerned” or “not at all concerned” about “the possibility of further violence against health insurance executives and other industry executives,” and 39% said they were “somewhat concerned.” “I am,” he answered. 19% said they were “very” or “extremely” concerned.
