Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responded to the public’s reaction to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO by highlighting the issues people have with the health insurance industry.
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan last Wednesday. However, many social media users have mocked his death and have showed their support for the suspect for the killing, Luigi Mangione, who was apprehended in Pennsylvania earlier this week and charged with murder.
Ocasio-Cortez explained why the public reacted this way to CBS News on Thursday while also condemning the killing of Thompson.
“And I think that this collective American experience, which is so twisted to have in the wealthiest nation in the world, all of that pain that people have experienced is being concentrated on this event, and it’s really important that we take a step back,” she said.
“This is not to comment, and this is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them,” she added.
Regarding the public reaction to the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said on Thursday, "I think people need to really understand how much everyday people are living with."
"This is not to say that an act of violence is… pic.twitter.com/nYiNASNElW — CBS News (@CBSNews) December 12, 2024
She went on to explain the issues with healthcare in the U.S., noting that she did not have health insurance until being elected to Congress.
“When I first ran for Congress, I had to sit in a free clinic while waiting so that I could get a blood test that I could afford while people were canvassing and knocking doors with flyers with my name on it,” she said. “Healthcare in this country has gotten to such a depraved state that people are living with things that they should never have to live with.”
“But we need to understand that extreme levels of inequality in the United States yield high degrees of social instability, and this is why we this is one of the practical reasons for people who are not moved by the moral case for why everybody should have a house over their head and the ability to see a doctor,” she added.
Mangione remains jailed without bail in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday after being spotted at a McDonald’s in the city of Altoona, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City. His lawyer there, Thomas Dickey, has said Mangione intends to plead not guilty. Dickey also said he has yet to see evidence decisively linking his client to the crime.
Mangione’s arrest came five days after the caught-on-camera killing of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel.
Police say the shooter waited outside the hotel, where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, early on the morning of Dec. 4. He approached Thompson from behind and shot him before fleeing on a bicycle through Central Park.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
xBoatEng on December 14th, 2024 at 14:32 UTC »
If denying claims is an act of violence, revoking the polio vaccine should be seen as an act of war.
blackmobius on December 14th, 2024 at 14:30 UTC »
They see it as theft.
We pay premiums for years, so that I can then be billed 15$ for a single Advil. I gotta pay each month, then 5k$ more, then my insurance will start paying sometimes. The overwhelming majority of us get nothing from insurance aside from another bill to pay. And then when we finally finally finally submit something…. Insurance says no
TerminalObsessions on December 14th, 2024 at 14:10 UTC »
If I pay you for a service and you refuse to provide it to me, that's a crime.
If I pay you for a service and you write a labyrinthine tangle of policies, hire a team of lawyers, and hope I die before I get the service, that's capitalism.