Physicians Shouldn't Applaud Murder
The death of the United Health CEO reveals some dark thoughts
The murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was clearly pre-meditated and meticulously planned. Furthermore, the shooter using a suppressed handgun (not likely suggestive of a crime of passion) and intentionally left messages on the shell casings and live rounds left on the ground at the scene. They had the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” written on them.
Mr. Thompson had been receiving death threats, according to his widow.
Here’s a summary of the story.
United Healthcare is a vast corporation. As of 2023 it was among the 10 largest companies in the world and was the largest healthcare insurance company in the US. It is worth over $300,000,000,000.
Anyone who deals with health insurance, and basically we all do, knows that it is expensive, difficult and sometimes seems barely worth the cost when patients are faced with denial after denial despite rising premiums.
None of us know why this murder happened. It’s easy to assume that it had to do with claim denials or something related to the industry. However the evidence simply isn’t there yet. It might have been personal, or random, or the act of a crazed individual. Time will hopefully tell.
But I know this:
His wife is now a widow and his children fatherless.
His killer is now consigned to life on the run, or to prison or death.
I also know this:
“Thou shalt not murder.”
There is no disclaimer for “yes but he wasn’t very nice.” Or, “she caused my family difficulty.” There is no excuse for “I really disagree with his opinion and he has to be silenced.” It just isn’t there. And we have structured our collective morality, our very legal system along those lines.
And yet, I keep seeing comments online intimating that maybe, just maybe, Mr. Thompson had it coming. You know, with denials and costs, and all the rest.
Perhaps most disturbing to me is the fact that some of these are from physicians. Physicians who are supposed to be dedicated to the preservation of life and the cessation of suffering.
I understand frustration with insurance companies. It impacts our patients, it impacts our livelihoods. But this is too far.
It’s no surprise, of course. Some physicians were also vocal in their wish that the assassination attempts against Pres. Trump had succeeded.
The law provides recourse for crimes and for civil litigation. Without the law we are reduced to vengeance. For ages that’s how humans settled things; with blood feuds.
The thing is, physicians can be implicated in suffering and loss as well. Our patients sometimes don’t recover. Our patients die. Sometimes they die because of our actions or inactions. How many family members of those we lose might feel justified in exacting revenge?
We know it happens, but we are always shocked and dismayed when it does.
In the ancient past, even the law codified this sort of revenge. Hammurabi’s Code, 218, says this: “If a physician performs an operation and kills someone or cuts out his eye, the doctor’s hands shall be cut off.”
I would caution my colleagues to dial back the rhetoric.
It is our job to bring comfort and healing. It is our job to see everyone as deserving of our care.
It is certainly not our job to cheer murder.
Shame on anyone who does.
Well, I'm sorry his manifesto did not have educational things we all should know and discuss, like the victim likely had many corpses in his closet from the choices and policies he did or supported, for a few dollars in many cases, and because he and those other killers did it for and within the corporate legal immunity shied, they will not be or ever be held personally responsible.
Same for the owners - of course. A person might consider removing those that raised or influenced and profited by so many serial killers in so many families, so maybe all the older adults in their families removed also, would be Just?
And when such a murder is beyond the law and endlessly killing, what isn't Just about a public execution?
How many of these white-collar killers in how many fields around the West and World maybe should die, until Corporate Law is changed?
Everyone with any deaths because of cost-or-profits, should be the answer.
God Bless., Steve
I’m a lawyer and my wife, who happened to be a lawyer and was the best person I’ve ever known, spent 3 years battling Stage 4 lung cancer after a missed diagnosis that would have caught the lump at Stage 1.
And trust me, I am in no way advocating or condoning violence in any way - period.
I will be honest - this article actually missed the plot. It isn’t any individual Dr or a group in the majority of cares - it’s the entire system that should be called out in an honest way for what it is - broken.
I’ve dealt with the issues that articles on United Health Care and their practices detail.
I’ve dealt with the best hospital systems in the US tell my wife that a 2.5 mg of a pain pill every 6 hours needs to be monitored so she doesn’t get addicted (she was a terminal stage 4 cancer patient with a plueral effusion which causes tremendous pain). This was repeated to her over and over and she was reduced to tears until I demanded to talk to someone else. I kindly said if she gets addicted then that’s a great result because she will get to see our kids graduate from college. She only wanted to be as free from pain as possible while terminal - not abuse narcotics.
I’ve dealt with the delays, dealt with the docs promising her at the end of her life she would receive mediation so she was not in pain - only to face reality.
At the end of her life, we were sent to ER, got stuck there for 26 hours because no beds were available in the cancer center of a major hospital in a large city and where I learned ER only a much smaller dose of her prescribed pain medication. So for 26 hours I watched her in pain and effectively drown from fluid in the lungs. And as you know, no way to call our local cancer doc of 3 years.
6 hours in I tried to give her one pill from her prescribed pain medication in her purse and a nurse walked in and threatened to through me out of the hospital at 3am in the morning with my wife dying.
10 or so hours in I got in touch with our other cancer doc at MD Anderson in Houston who looked at scans and said all they need to do was drain the lungs - he said the cancer load is not an issue. Now he could be an idiot but is recognized as one of the leading lung cancer docs in the world that are caused by genetic mutations - it shouldn’t matter but my wife was a non-smoker and cancer was caused by a genetic mutation at the age of 48.
Local cancer doc and our local hospital refused to drain the lungs. I finally contacted the head of our local cancer hospital but by then it was too late to perform that procedure.
During this our local cancer doc was unavailable - turns out she was at a conference on the very same floor but obviously no way to talk to her.
20 hours in I called my kids who my wife and I both promised to do. We are still in ER, she is in horrible pain and my kids could only hold her hand. She couldn’t talk due to pain and the refusal to drain her lungs.
23 or so hours in Hospice finally arrives and can give her appropriate level of pain medication - unlike ER.
Same time she motioned to me to get a pastor - I asked and was promised they were on the way. Pastor never came.
25 or so hours in, a bed in the hospital is finally available - oh, and with a room I was promised she could get the right amount of pain medication and relief from suffering that was unavailable in the ER.
This is 25 hours after our doc sent us to the ER as the best option with what was supposed to be a minor issue. She said it was really the only option late at night and the only way to be admitted to the cancer wing.
26 hours later she is wheeled to a room but she died in the elevator. My daughter who was holding her hand looked at me and was the one to alert the medical people she had died.
The room was empty and who knows how long it had been empty.
And I don’t blame the individual docs for this.
It is a broken system and most docs know this - let’s be honest. I don’t think most docs fully realize the hurdles patients face. I may be wrong.
And yes, she was terminal anyway (I won’t go into the missed diagnosis that would have caught the mass at Stage 1).
And we are the lucky ones - we fortunately had money and the very best insurance. And yes, this could be just an isolated incident but I’m dealing with many of same issues with my mom and the hurdles to get basic medical care.
Maybe it’s too personal for me and in no way do I condone what happened.
But maybe make the focus on the problems we have and your suggestions on how to fix some of the issues from your perspective - that is compelling.
And we can all condone a murder but still recognize the state of our health care system - it is lousy. Just that admission helps - and I get docs are caught up in the mess too. Seems many are leaving the profession. In our city, many practices have been bought by the two dominant hospital chains who let’s say don’t necessarily put patients first.
And in my personal situation - just tell me the truth and I would have moved my wife to Houston near MD Anderson or to another country so she could pass as pain free as possible.
Her first question after diagnosis - at the end, how will it end and can I die in peace. Absolutely doc said.
Start with the truth - people understand the truth and that leads to empathy for all people working jn this system. And god help the people who aren’t lucky enough to have the best insurance and resources.
I knew none of this before my journey and I don’t think it’s uncommon.