Deny. Delay. Defend.
When you open up a wall in your home because someone warns you there might be something harmful growing behind it, you brace yourself for what you might find. But nothing prepares you for the moment when you realize the mold isn’t just a small patch—it’s taken over the entire house. It’s in the walls, the floors, the ceilings. It’s not just bad; it’s a killer. Game over. That’s what the assassination of Brian, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, feels like to me. It’s as though we tore down the drywall of the American healthcare system, which we all knew was a mess, and found that the entire structure is rotting and toxic. Worse than we thought.
Let me be clear: an assassination is not the answer. It’s an act of desperation, and violence only deepens the cycle of suffering. But to pretend that Brian’s Thompson’s death happened in a vacuum is to ignore the toxic reality behind the walls of our healthcare system. This man, who the media rushed to canonize as a hero, was no saint. He was the architect of policies that actively prioritized profit over human lives. And, his insurance company? The worst of them all.
One of those policies was what insiders at UnitedHealthcare called the “Deny, Delay, Depose” strategy. This wasn’t just a catchphrase—it was a calculated approach to handling claims. Deny first, knowing many people won’t have the resources or time to fight back. Depose the claimant if they do challenge, dragging them through endless paperwork and legalese until they’re worn down. Delay resolution as long as possible, betting that desperation will eventually force the claimant to give up. It’s a brutal system designed to save money at the expense of the very people paying for coverage.
When the assassin stepped outside and pulled the trigger shooting Brian in the back, he didn’t just fire a weapon—he left a calling card. Reports say he wrote “Deny, Depose, Delay” on the bullet casings, a chilling acknowledgment of the policies that have left countless people to suffer and die. It’s a horrifying act, but it also underscores the depth of frustration and fury directed at a system that has failed so completely. And it is at a time when anger and rage at the 1% who clearly rule this country, at the expense of the rest of us, is at an all time high.
Let’s talk about UnitedHealthcare for a moment. This is a company that denied 31% of claims submitted last year. That’s nearly one out of every three people who trusted their coverage, only to be told no when they needed it most. There’s the woman in Florida whose chemotherapy was denied because it wasn’t deemed “necessary” under their guidelines. Or the father in Ohio who fought for months to get surgery approved for his son with a life-threatening heart condition. These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re part of a calculated strategy to maximize profit by minimizing care.
And yet, within hours of Brian’s death, social media was flooded with glowing tributes, hailing him as a visionary leader. Mainstream media made him out to be a health care advocate. The narrative was set: he was a family man, a genius in his field, someone who cared deeply about healthcare. But let’s not forget the cracks in that story. He’d been separated from his wife for years. He was reportedly on the verge of indictment for his role in some of UnitedHealthcare’s most egregious practices. And for the millions of people whose claims he had his people deny, he was no hero.
At the same time, a disturbing counter-narrative emerged: people online began to canonize the alleged assassin, Luigi Mangione. Comments on social media have called him a “martyr for the people” or “the only one with the courage to do what needed to be done.” Others have framed him as a revolutionary striking back against a corrupt system. One user wrote, “This man did what none of us had the guts to do—he stood up to a monster.” Another said, “Brian wasn’t murdered; he was held accountable.” These reactions are alarming, but they’re also revealing. They show just how deeply broken and desperate people feel about a system that has failed them so completely.
And it’s about to get worse. Donald Trump is already floating ideas to take Medicare apart piece by piece. He’s talking about allowing insurance companies to return to the days of no holds barred—denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, capping benefits, and dictating who lives and who dies based on profit margins. It’s a return to a system where the most vulnerable among us are nothing more than numbers on a ledger.
And where are the people who are supposed to represent us in all of this? The fault is not with the industry, it’s with those we elected to monitor the industry. The elected officials in Washington who took an oath to serve the people have turned a blind eye to this crisis for decades. They sit in their marble offices with taxpayer-funded healthcare that ensures they’ll never know the fear of having a claim denied, a surgery postponed, or a life-saving treatment labeled “unnecessary.” They’ve stood idly by as millions of Americans have been crushed under the weight of medical debt and denied the care they need to survive. If anything, they’ve enabled this system, taking campaign contributions from the very corporations that profit off our suffering.
So where does that leave us? Here’s our hard truth at this historic moment: this is yet another wake-up call. We’ve been sleepwalking through a healthcare system that values profits over people, and now the consequences are impossible to ignore. This isn’t just about one man—neither Brian nor Luigi. It’s about all of us. It’s about a system that is killing people as surely as the mold behind a wall.
We have to stand up. We have to say we’re done with this. Done with insurance companies that take our money and leave us to fend for ourselves when we need them most. Done with politicians who enjoy world-class healthcare while letting their constituents suffer and die. Done with pretending that this is the best we can do.
This is our moment. We have to demand better, not just for ourselves but for the millions of people who can’t fight this battle alone. We need to look at this mold-infested house we’ve uncovered and decide whether we’re going to patch the walls and hope for the best—or tear the whole thing down and rebuild it into something that works for everyone.
Healthcare is not a privilege. It’s not a product to be sold to the highest bidder, at the expense of the average American citizen. It’s a human right, and it’s time we started treating it like one. If we don’t, the rot will keep spreading, and the next desperate act won’t just be a wake-up call. It will be the collapse of the entire house.
Wake up neighbors and smell the activism that we owe ourselves and each other.
- Christine Merser
United Health Care & AI Denying Claims.
In October, a report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations showed that the nation’s insurers have been using AI-powered tools to deny some claims from Medicare Advantage plan subscribers.
The report found that UnitedHealthcare’s denial rate for post-acute care — health care needed to transition people out of hospitals and back into their homes — for people with Medicare Advantage plans rose to 22.7% in 2022, from 10.9% in 2020.
The rise coincides with UnitedHealthcare’s implementation of an AI model called nH Predict, originally developed by naviHealth, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group that has since been rebranded.
Algorithms like nH Predict can analyze millions of data points to generate predictions and recommendations by comparing patients to others with apparently similar characteristics, according to an article on JAMA Network. However, the article cautions that claims of enhanced accuracy through advanced computational methods are often exaggerated.
Both UnitedHealth and Humana are currently facing lawsuits over their use of nH Predict. The suits allege that insurers pressured case managers to follow the algorithm’s length-of-stay recommendations, even when clinicians and families objected.
One lawsuit filed last year against UnitedHealth claims that 90% of the algorithm’s recommendation are reversed on appeal.
Our Healthcare Legislative Body …. it’s time to let people know you will hold them accountable. Be informed.
The relationship between the insurance industry and U.S. lawmakers is multifaceted, involving campaign contributions, legislative oversight, and policy development. Here’s an overview:
Campaign Contributions from the Insurance Industry
The insurance sector has been a significant contributor to political campaigns. According to OpenSecrets, during the 2024 election cycle, the industry contributed substantial amounts to various members of Congress. Click here to see who United Health Care gave to over the past year. It will blow your mind. While specific figures for each member are detailed on OpenSecrets’ website, it’s evident that both major parties receive considerable support from this sector.
Congressional Oversight of the Insurance Industry
Oversight of the insurance industry is primarily conducted by specific congressional committees:
• Senate Committees:
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Chaired by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), this committee addresses issues related to insurance.
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP): This committee oversees public health and health insurance statutes.
• House Committees:
• Committee on Oversight and Accountability: The Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, chaired by Representative Lisa McClain (MI-09), focuses on health care and financial services oversight.
Legislation Affecting the Insurance Industry
Several legislative efforts have impacted the insurance sector:
• Business of Insurance Regulatory Reform Act of 2023: Introduced by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), this bill aims to protect the state-based insurance regulatory system and prevent overreach by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
For a comprehensive list of legislation and the lawmakers involved, consulting official congressional records and reputable sources like OpenSecrets is recommended.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for comprehending how insurance policies are shaped and the industry’s influence on legislation.