Health Insurance Workers Fearful Amid Public Anger After Slaying of C.E.O. (HAHA! GOOD!!)

[Coventina]

The fatal shooting last week of an executive on the streets of New York City plunged his family members and colleagues into grief. For rank-and-file employees across the health insurance industry, the killing has left them with an additional emotion: fear, with many frightened for their own safety and feeling under attack for their work.

Health insurance companies have increased security measures since the killing of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, and as an outpouring of online rage toward the industry has followed. Health care leaders have spoken with frustration about feeling vilified, and in the Minneapolis suburbs where United is headquartered, police officers stepped up protection of the company’s offices.

“Clearly the employees have been shaken,” said Mayor Brad Wiersum of Minnetonka, who said the city was working “just to provide that reassurance and that security, to let people know that we are going to do everything we can to keep them safe.”

One UnitedHealthcare worker who processes claims described being cleareyed about the American health care system’s shortcomings, but also believes that she and her colleagues did their best to help patients within the limits of that system. Like most workers interviewed, she did not want to be named because, given the reaction after Mr. Thompson’s killing, she feared for her own safety.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/us/health-insurance-uhc-ceo-shooting.html

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The comments on this article are awesome!!

[Dennis Donovan]

1. I don't think this should be taken out on employees. They don't set company policy. n/t

[Coventina]

3. Here's a quote from the NYT from a reader:

My daughter worked for both Aetna and United Health Care. Her training was to deny, deny, and stall. She was evaluated by her "success" in how many claims were denied or reduced or "forgotten." I've been on juries debating insurance claims. Everyone was settled before we could come out with a verdict. The insurance companies knew they didn't stand a chance with any jury finding in their favor, and they were correct. Every juror had something bad to say about their experience with claims or the cost or how little they were paid for their claim. Profit over care. That's their motto. Anyone getting the message?

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So, yeah, they are complicit.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. No, they are doing a job for a wage, not making the rules. They shouldn't have to fear for their safety. n/t

[Coventina]

5. Just following orders, eh?

[peregrinus]

6. The guards at Auschwitz were doing a job too

[newdeal2]

11. By that logic

Are gas station attendants complicit in climate change and fair targets?

[peregrinus]

15. Does somebody who works for a plastics lobby?

[LeftInTX]

49. There is a difference between a lobbyist and worker

Are mine workers who get black lung disease complicit???

Are employees who work for bad corporations guilty? Are WalMart workers complicit in whatever the current outrage at WalMart is about? They have brought back the store greeters. Should they be targets of consumer outrage? How about the customer service people who work at AT&T or Spectrum Cable?

[Crunchy Frog]

16. Like low level flunkies working in a concentration camp

[Wolver]

7. Lot of contradictions

Your point is valid. The majority of people working for these companies are rank and file workers. Working class if you will. Struggling to survive like most. Can't fault people for that. However - and anyone could see this coming from a mile away - the bosses, the owners, the decision makers are not having a "come to Jesus moment" as a lot of people think. They have the power and the ruling class infrastructure to exert their force at will. They will instead double and triple down on fucking people over as they've always done, and make it even harder for people being fucked over to fight back. They will instruct their worker slaves, up and down the ladder, on a new set of "proper company procedures", to stop any and all fightback from the people getting fucked over in it's tracks. The message is clear...we will fuck you over, there's nothing you can do about it, and if you challenge us in any way you will be reported to the authorities as we've just seen in an article from another thread. The majority of the worker slaves at these companies will take their marching orders and march in lockstep. To paraphrase Upton Sinclair -- "it is difficult to get people to understand something when their job depends on them not understanding it." Doesn't make it right though.

This is why you have to fight the entire system. Individual acts of fightback - if that's what the CEO episode turns out to be - amounts to nothing but tokenism that can make things worse when trying to organize a mass resistance against the system. To add a bit of tinfoil to the mix... Luigi Mangione might have been just what the doctor ordered for the owners to double and triple down on their authoritarian barbarism and crackdown on the masses getting fucked over.

[JonAndKatePlusABird]

24. Last sentence indeed is tinfoil

But hits hard nonetheless…

[HiramMcknoxt]

34. Man on the inside

So I dropped out of college to take a field director job for the AFL-CIO to canvass and lobby to get our senator (Blanche Lincoln) to vote for the PPACA (she was the last democratic holdout). After that office closed I was offered a low paying job in a much more expensive state across the country so I took a job in health insurance since I had experience in health care policy and no degree yet. 15 years later I finished my undergrad and graduate studies and now I’m a Director in Regulatory Operations for one of the largest carriers. I work specifically on the Marketplace product my company offers and I oversee the grievance, appeals, and broker fraud investigations units. This is very close to home for me. I was in school to get a PhD in sociology and teach, I always wanted to be a professor but by the time I finished my master’s I was making more than my advisor, now I’m making over double. So I’ve stayed for the money. My wife is also chronically ill. She takes 56 pills a day. We had six miscarriages before we had kids and we needed fertility treatment to make it happen. I’ve kept myself close to the devil because I need what the devil has. I’m at peace with that fact. I’m convinced that if I didn’t have the insurance I have I wouldn’t have kids and my wife would probably have died several years ago.

And I know that’s fucked up. I know this whole system is fucked up. I’ve known it my entire adult life. I see the worst of it. And I see myself as an agent of accountability working within the system. I’ve always liberally applied rules, looked for loopholes, purposely ignored cases submitted outside of the timely filing period, truly advocated for people. I’ve always fought hard to get stuff approved. I got into a shouting match one time with a medical director who tried to deny a person’s ER visit due to a gunshot wound because our plans don’t cover injuries incurred during the commission of a felony and “how do we know he wasn’t shot committing a crime”. I got that overturned. I love making calls to families to tell them I’ve gotten stuff approved. Knowing what I know about fertility claims, I’ve coached people on how to file claims to get fertility treatment covered “now if you file with a ex of infertility it will reject, but if you file it as treatment for the underlying cause of infertility it will pay.” And now that I’m upper management I get to just tell people what to do. I don’t have to even look for loopholes. I just do the right thing and concoct an argument for if an auditor ever asks about it. And this is the attitude I train my entire team to adopt. We’re people’s last hope a lot of the time, let’s help them. Let’s do what we can within the system to make it work. And it shows in our numbers, I won’t say which one but we’re well below the national average in denial rate.

But we also get doxxed. We had an MD receive a mailbox bomb over an adverse review. In some states grievance and appeals workers have to give their names and phone numbers in letters. There have been several occasions where people have shown up to the office to confront them, found them on social media and harassed them, and even doxxed them and sent stuff to or showed up at their house. These aren’t like at an epidemic level but everyone in this field has at least one story if there ever done member facing work for a year or so.

This ain’t it fam. We need systemic change. In the hours after Brian Thompson’s murder UHC had their investor day and their stock price went up 2.5%. This changes nothing. Things are in fact going to get worse when the EAPTC expires and millions lose their insurance at the beginning of 2026. But we need to reckon with the fact that not you have voted for a major party candidate in every election, you have never voted for a pro-single payer candidate. Harris didn’t offer single payer or even a public option, then go down the line. Bernie did, but we had to give the 2020 nomination to Joe, and Hillary in 2016. Obama was pro-public option but we can’t have nice things. We need systemic reform. We need to be mad at the people we trust to write the rules for this system and oversee it, not at the system for functioning the way we’ve designed it, and not at the workers who are maintaining the system we vote cycle after cycle to preserve.

Workers need to be protect. There are laws on the books that expose their identity needlessly that I’m working to change.

[FakeNoose]

35. Instead of committing murder, Mangione could have been a whistleblower

It would have been even more devastating than killing one CEO. Blow the whistle on the entire insurance industry. Mangione's family owns 7 nursing homes in the Baltimore area, and they are prominent, wealthy citizens. He would have had clout, and I believe the media would have listened to him. Instead he's going to prison for the rest of his life.

[Lulu KC]

46. And the nursing homes have been accused of abuse

Repeatedly, many claims. (I wish I could give a source. It's all been washing over me like the ocean but wherever it was, it had access to the MD state website where these things are kept.)

[Arazi]

14. Waitaminute, I've been told numerous times here Brian Thompson wasn't responsible either

That he’s not a murderer 11!!11

So who’s responsible for the denials that permanently maim, destroy and kill people? If it’s not these folks who are directly denying the claims per company policy that’s set by the CEO, and it’s not the CEO, who’s responsible?

[Irish_Dem]

51. When you work for evil and do evil every day, then you are responsible for that.

If you are responsible for cheating, lying, injuring and killing people then that is on you.

I do not advocate violence against them. But I show them no mercy.

[leftstreet]

2. LOL

One former employee of UnitedHealthcare described seeing glib, distasteful messages about Mr. Thompson’s death even in a Facebook group composed largely of people who work in the industry.

[TheBlackAdder]

26. Waiting for the Dead Pool Lists for everyone in congress touching Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid

There will be a lot of people with few to nothing left, no hopes and looking to strike at their oppressors.

Many will be former military and most will probably be self-affecting conservatives.

That's going to be the irony. They voted for the very people who will destroy their lives.

[ecstatic]

8. I don't know about this. I know someone who works

in claims at UHC and the company has barely acknowledged the incident at all. It's as if it never happened. I've expressed more interest in the situation than she has.

[Coventina]

9. That's kind of creepy. How disassociated is she from what she does all day?

Whenever there's a school shooting, I'm on edge for the next several days.

[ecstatic]

12. I agree that it's weird. I'm the one who broke the news to her about the shooting.

And I didn't find out until around 1pm EST.

[GusBob]

10. I have often wondered about the last thoughts of gun violence victims

Here’s what I envision for the next times some guy with a gun decides to be a folk hero

Front foyer security guard: “ damn this second job, hope my kids don’t see me like this”
Random vendor on the elevator ‘I knew this was a bad cold call”
Janitor on the CEO’s floor “glad this is tile flooring”
Secretary “momma!”
CEO: ‘where’s my staff?’

Shooter: ‘I’m gonna be famous’

[malaise]

13. Welcome to the club

School teachers, administrators, other staff, kids and their parents have been afraid for decades.

[Maru Kitteh]

47. Nurses.

I’ve been assulted seriously (requiring medical treatment) twice, minor assults literally countless other times. I’m certain I’ve forgotten dozens upon dozens of minor assults.

[malaise]

48. THIS

Rec.

[Sympthsical]

17. A friend of mine works at United

This paragraph describes what he's been telling us:

"One UnitedHealthcare worker who processes claims described being cleareyed about the American health care system’s shortcomings, but also believes that she and her colleagues did their best to help patients within the limits of that system. Like most workers interviewed, she did not want to be named because, given the reaction after Mr. Thompson’s killing, she feared for her own safety."

They are very worried someone's going to be inspired to come in and start shooting up the place. He works in Texas and says people are watching doors more, paranoid, not sure what to expect.

He's a good guy. Does what he can to help people get care. His personal battle the past few years has been getting claims approved for gender affirming care.

That's the thing about uncontrolled vengeance. People who have no say-so over the wrongs can get wrapped up in the harms.

I don't think it's good that someone like him is afraid. Thinking that's awesome is an asshole move. People need to get a grip if they think making regular workers fear for their lives is their idea of a good time. It's fucking shit.

[Coventina]

18. Well, I'm a college professor, so I've been dealing with being a target all my career.

Granted, I went into education aware of school shootings.

And also knowing that college professors are now the WOKE EVIL MONSTERS that are the source of everything WRONG WITH SOCIETY.

But, I made the choice, because I firmly believe (and my students regularly tell me) that what I do changes their lives for the better.

So, I guess I'm not all that super sympathetic when other workers, who are actively working for companies that are actively hurting people
(Insurance companies are NOT healthcare, they are money-making machines) now know the same fear that I do.

Maybe, we can start having conversations about gun reform?
And healthcare reform?
And maybe nobody will have to live in fear?

[Sympthsical]

19. And I worked in social services for years

Actively going into areas with the mentally unstable, the drug addled, and the violent.

It's not a contest.

It's also not an excuse.

Taking pleasure in the fear of innocents should be cause for some self-reflection, I think. Certainly at least self-awareness of the personal point reached. The rocker ain't going anywhere. It can be reoccupied at will.

[Coventina]

20. I think we have a fundamental difference in the definition of "innocent."

The health insurance industry makes money by refusing care.

That's just evil.

[Sympthsical]

21. Yeah, I have the usual one

Not weeding out saints and heretics according to ideological views of the grand revolution coming.

When reading about the French Revolution, I highly recommend people make it allllll the way to the end. As a college professor, I trust you know how these things go.

[Coventina]

23. I never said I wanted a revolution, or anarchy, or whatever word you're accusing me of writing.

Feel free to disagree with me, but don't accuse me of saying things I didn't.

[MineralMan]

25. This is not funny. Nor is it good in any way.

What is lost here is the fact that UHC is the largest health insurance company in the USA. What that means is that millions of people are insured by that company. Employees there process millions of claims. 2/3 of those are paid. About 1/3 get denied. Most of those are eventually paid, following a review.

Individual employees at UHC, like individual employees at any company or organization, have literally nothing to do with setting policy. They process paperwork. They don't make any decisions. Without them, no claims get paid.

Why is it funny that they are now fearful on the job? How is that good?

I'm sorry, but you're missing some very important things as you make your statement.

Note: I do not have UHC insurance. My Medicare Advantage plan is from another company. I have no idea whatsoever what percentage of claims are denied by the company I use. None of mine have been. My wife has a different insurance company for her plan. She did have one claim denied. After a phone call from her, the provided fixed the error made by someone and it was paid.

[Scrivener7]

27. School children and staffs have been fearful of gun violence for

decades. As a person who worked in schools, I hate to say it but maybe this will spread and people will finally demand something is done about our gun laws.

If you are a gunner, you bear responsibility for this. And maybe your job will be the next to feel the danger.

[Scrivener7]

29. Sweetie, I worked for 20 years in the worst neighborhoods in the USA.

In schools and in projects.

Believe me, you aren't scaring me.

Welcome to DU. Enjoy your stay

[Scrivener7]

33. I'm not. But you clearly are.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

36. Besides, the shooter didn't make the gun from scratch. He made it with readily available parts available online

That’s what I was typing to our troll before it was nuked.

[GP6971]

30. You sound nice. Plan on being here long?

[Scrivener7]

32. A fleeting acquaintance, I'm thinking.

[GP6971]

38. We never got to know them!!

[marble falls]

37. It is astounding to be on DU and hear some of same things we hear hear from RWers. Very surprising.

[sarisataka]

39. Some of our principles

are extremely shallowly held

[tenderfoot]

40. It's like the left and right agree that for profit healthcare is bullshit.

Not exactly a negative.

[tenderfoot]

43. LOL

eom

[sarisataka]

41. Wow

Any other industry you want the employees to be afraid someone may hunt them down?

[EX500rider]

44. The question should be asked what exactly is UHC's profit margin? Is it obscene?

Last edited Fri Dec 13, 2024, 06:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Does not appear so to me:

UnitedHealth Group average net profit margin for 2022 was 6.05%

UnitedHealth Group average net profit margin for 2021 was 5.82%

They make much less and they go out of business.

[MichMan]

45. Big grocery chains make less than that and they are accused of "price gouging" n/t

[FakeNoose]

50. Why are their executive board members making $10Million annual bonuses?

This may be an exaggeration but not by much. We're never told how much these executives make because it's all kept secret from the public. The annual report may reveal some salary info, but not how much the executives are paid.

It's obscene that these health insurance execs are paid more than the annual GDP of many third-world countries.
Do you agree?