I don’t cheer at public executions on the street, but on TikTok you asked for sympathy, and I and other folks have none to give.
You noted in TikTok comments that there is a difference between an assassin and a health company CEO. Yes, there is. The assassin has the courtesy to face the people whose lives he shortens for profit.
What makes this interesting (in both good and bad ways) is that Anthem flinched (https://www.axios.com/2024/12/05/blue-cross-blue-shield-anesthesia-anthem-connecticut-new-york). If this assassination has gotten health insurance companies to think twice about wildly-egregious policies that were certain to lead to the deaths of thousands, perhaps Mr Thompson did not die in vain.
I’m sure that Anthem is going to try to sneak this back. We’ll see how long peoples’ memories are.
As for the share price dropping, sure, but protests will not accomplish that. Government regulation might, but that’s not going to happen with this upcoming administration. So through what mechanism do you propose that happen? Or is this some general wish of “this is what would need to change and I want that to happen but I don’t know how”. Because there has been a way forward demonstrated, a way that has been shown to get the message across in a way that’s heard.
The insurance companies are playing a dangerous game of chicken. If they refuse to swerve, so will the folks who are suffering under the system the insurance companies created, and that won’t be good for anyone.
I worked as a market medical director for UnitedHealthcare. I lasted a year. This is the Letter I wrote to NYT in 2001. This is obviously an old story. I abhor the killing of the UHC CEO, but managed care has not changed its stripes in over 2 decades. It sucks resources out of the healthcare system and contributes NOTHING.
Thank you Barry, I appreciate your input. We can't be killing people, and we also can't be running businesses that lead to people being so angry they cheer for your death.
Just to kick things off, interesting to watch the NYT trying to educate its readers and displaying that objectivity and fairness sometimes requires calling out bad actors:
>While they have multiple meanings, the words “delay” and “deny” could be a reference to the ways insurance companies seek to fend off claims. A 2010 book on the topic, “Delay, Deny, Defend,” argues that health insurers’ claims departments try to increase their profits by not honoring the terms of insurance policies, shortchanging policyholders.
>UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, has come under fierce criticism from patients, lawmakers and others for denying patients’ claims. A doctor or hospital may determine that a patient needs medical treatment, but an insurer, which is responsible for paying for that treatment, can still determine that the care does not meet its criteria for coverage and refuse to pay the bill. In some cases, the denial comes in the form of a refusal to authorize the care before it is delivered, but in other cases, patients can be left with hefty medical bills that they must pay out of their own pockets.
I doubt any of this is news to anyone reading Dr. Muir. Let me pose the question: If indeed the company's violations of its own insurance policies have led to the death of thousands, what is the criminal charge, where is the court of law and what is the proper punishment if found guilty?
Despite the mass media attention and all the potential ripple effects mentioned in the preceding comments, I am not even a little convinced that it leads to any meaningful change. The shareholders will simply hire more bodyguards and so will the CEOs. Because the money keeps pouring into Washington. Period.
I think that, overall, we need not only insurance to work differently, but healthcare overall to operate differently. The options available to most people require insurance because the drugs and therapies, imaging, labs, etc are extremely expensive. Whereas despite all the medical technology and specialization we have now, chronic conditions, such as neurological issues, auto-immune disorders, cancer and more, seem always just beyond the horizon.
I think this is a moment to stop, as health care providers, physicians, etc, and take stock of what our medicine is offering people. Are the outcomes working as we hoped? Or do we not only need to re-envision healthcare, but also how we approach health in general?
There is a large groundswell of alternative therapies taking shape, because people want other options outside of pharmaceuticals. And many of these, such as Chinese Herbal Medicine and acupuncture, are effective and have good outcomes, as well as being less expensive per treatment than visits to a GP.
I'd encourage anyone reading this to consider alternative therapies (be sure to get a good recommendation from someone you trust).
I don't know that we have to flee to alternative treatments because things with an excellent evidence space have become grounds for grifter to make massive profits. There's a lot of grift in alternative treatments as well, and not a lot of trust to go around. I agree with your general point, that we need to think about healthcare more broadly, but I think running away from the fruits of modern medicine is not what I would advocate. This is different in the UK than in the US, but not that much different.
I wasn't advocating fleeing, I was saying: there are alternatives. Whether someone is interested in them depends on outcome, person to person, in my opinion. I believe that the western medical model doesn't offer much in the theory of health, but it does in the theory of disease. It doesn't really offer a good understanding of how to stay healthy. It offers solutions for disease. This, in my opinion, is a large problem that few talk about.
No because they are administering a fair system designed to help patients. The social impact of the shooting seems to be nearly perfect, at least as the NYT is reporting it. Even if you're not a subscriber, I've made this article free for everyone to read. The headline: Torrent of Hate for Health Insurance Industry Follows C.E.O.’s Killing
I don’t cheer at public executions on the street, but on TikTok you asked for sympathy, and I and other folks have none to give.
You noted in TikTok comments that there is a difference between an assassin and a health company CEO. Yes, there is. The assassin has the courtesy to face the people whose lives he shortens for profit.
What makes this interesting (in both good and bad ways) is that Anthem flinched (https://www.axios.com/2024/12/05/blue-cross-blue-shield-anesthesia-anthem-connecticut-new-york). If this assassination has gotten health insurance companies to think twice about wildly-egregious policies that were certain to lead to the deaths of thousands, perhaps Mr Thompson did not die in vain.
It was sad to see murder be the thing that made anthem flinch for one day, but they will likely be back to it when people aren't paying attention.
The share price has to drop. It's the only message any of them will hear.
I’m sure that Anthem is going to try to sneak this back. We’ll see how long peoples’ memories are.
As for the share price dropping, sure, but protests will not accomplish that. Government regulation might, but that’s not going to happen with this upcoming administration. So through what mechanism do you propose that happen? Or is this some general wish of “this is what would need to change and I want that to happen but I don’t know how”. Because there has been a way forward demonstrated, a way that has been shown to get the message across in a way that’s heard.
The insurance companies are playing a dangerous game of chicken. If they refuse to swerve, so will the folks who are suffering under the system the insurance companies created, and that won’t be good for anyone.
Civil lawsuits for ERISA has been my answer, over and over:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thefrontierpsychiatrists/p/every-employer-will-be-suedpersonally?r=1ct8f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://open.substack.com/pub/thefrontierpsychiatrists/p/lawsuits-for-health-plan-scams-have?r=1ct8f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://open.substack.com/pub/thefrontierpsychiatrists/p/cant-find-a-psychiatrist-who-will?r=1ct8f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://open.substack.com/pub/thefrontierpsychiatrists/p/how-is-that-possible?r=1ct8f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
And this...
https://open.substack.com/pub/thefrontierpsychiatrists/p/how-to-make-a-trillion-dollars-write?r=1ct8f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
It's not the only answer, but it's maybe better than street violence.
I would say that it would be better than street violence. I fear that it may not be effective enough fast enough.
I couldn't agree with you more
I worked as a market medical director for UnitedHealthcare. I lasted a year. This is the Letter I wrote to NYT in 2001. This is obviously an old story. I abhor the killing of the UHC CEO, but managed care has not changed its stripes in over 2 decades. It sucks resources out of the healthcare system and contributes NOTHING.
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/09/opinion/l-brave-new-world-of-health-care-165115.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Thank you Barry, I appreciate your input. We can't be killing people, and we also can't be running businesses that lead to people being so angry they cheer for your death.
Just to kick things off, interesting to watch the NYT trying to educate its readers and displaying that objectivity and fairness sometimes requires calling out bad actors:
>While they have multiple meanings, the words “delay” and “deny” could be a reference to the ways insurance companies seek to fend off claims. A 2010 book on the topic, “Delay, Deny, Defend,” argues that health insurers’ claims departments try to increase their profits by not honoring the terms of insurance policies, shortchanging policyholders.
>UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, has come under fierce criticism from patients, lawmakers and others for denying patients’ claims. A doctor or hospital may determine that a patient needs medical treatment, but an insurer, which is responsible for paying for that treatment, can still determine that the care does not meet its criteria for coverage and refuse to pay the bill. In some cases, the denial comes in the form of a refusal to authorize the care before it is delivered, but in other cases, patients can be left with hefty medical bills that they must pay out of their own pockets.
I doubt any of this is news to anyone reading Dr. Muir. Let me pose the question: If indeed the company's violations of its own insurance policies have led to the death of thousands, what is the criminal charge, where is the court of law and what is the proper punishment if found guilty?
Despite the mass media attention and all the potential ripple effects mentioned in the preceding comments, I am not even a little convinced that it leads to any meaningful change. The shareholders will simply hire more bodyguards and so will the CEOs. Because the money keeps pouring into Washington. Period.
I think that, overall, we need not only insurance to work differently, but healthcare overall to operate differently. The options available to most people require insurance because the drugs and therapies, imaging, labs, etc are extremely expensive. Whereas despite all the medical technology and specialization we have now, chronic conditions, such as neurological issues, auto-immune disorders, cancer and more, seem always just beyond the horizon.
I think this is a moment to stop, as health care providers, physicians, etc, and take stock of what our medicine is offering people. Are the outcomes working as we hoped? Or do we not only need to re-envision healthcare, but also how we approach health in general?
There is a large groundswell of alternative therapies taking shape, because people want other options outside of pharmaceuticals. And many of these, such as Chinese Herbal Medicine and acupuncture, are effective and have good outcomes, as well as being less expensive per treatment than visits to a GP.
I'd encourage anyone reading this to consider alternative therapies (be sure to get a good recommendation from someone you trust).
I don't know that we have to flee to alternative treatments because things with an excellent evidence space have become grounds for grifter to make massive profits. There's a lot of grift in alternative treatments as well, and not a lot of trust to go around. I agree with your general point, that we need to think about healthcare more broadly, but I think running away from the fruits of modern medicine is not what I would advocate. This is different in the UK than in the US, but not that much different.
Thanks for your reply, and I agree in part.
I wasn't advocating fleeing, I was saying: there are alternatives. Whether someone is interested in them depends on outcome, person to person, in my opinion. I believe that the western medical model doesn't offer much in the theory of health, but it does in the theory of disease. It doesn't really offer a good understanding of how to stay healthy. It offers solutions for disease. This, in my opinion, is a large problem that few talk about.
You will enjoy my article topic of walking. As if it were an FDA labeled treatment.
Thank you for the recommendation, I am very much enjoying it and your perspective. Funny that my substack is titled "walk around" as well.
Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate the engagement.
Great minds.
Tyranny can only be solved by violence. You won't find a single exception in all of history.
Would health care administrators ever be at risk of assassination in Norway or France? https://open.substack.com/pub/egberto/p/what-healthcare-looks-like-in-norway?r=f0bj9&utm_medium=ios
No because they are administering a fair system designed to help patients. The social impact of the shooting seems to be nearly perfect, at least as the NYT is reporting it. Even if you're not a subscriber, I've made this article free for everyone to read. The headline: Torrent of Hate for Health Insurance Industry Follows C.E.O.’s Killing
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/nyregion/social-media-insurance-industry-brian-thompson.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fE4.gApA.KefBGHaT98Cr&smid=em-share