<br><div><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__bv"/><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__bvd gnt_x__h"/><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Health insurance industry faces backlash after murder of UnitedHealth exec"><div class="gnt_em_vp_w" data-g-r="vp_tp" data-c-vt="teal" data-t-pl="teal-hero"><button class="gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__tp_a" data-g-r="vp_ap vp_tg" data-c-vpattrs="{"muted":true,"bContent":false,"an":"usatoday","pn":"USA TODAY","vidNum":1,"docking":true,"t0060":1,"cut":1}" data-c-vpdata="{"adsEnabled":true,"awsPath":"news","byline":"LeeAnne Lowry","canonicalURL":"","contentSourceCode":"USAT","credit":"","duration":47000,"headline":"Health insurance industry faces backlash after murder of UnitedHealth exec","hlsURL":"https://hlsmedia.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/videos/zype/renditions/675320f2c7c9a90001dc6e55/480p_30fps,720p_30fps,1080p_30fps,master.m3u8?subtitles=76822318007","id":"76822318007","image":{"opto":true,"url":"/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/12/06/USAT/76822445007-20241206-vpc-healthcare-faces-backlash-after-shooting-getty-00-00-00-00-still-003.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0"},"keywords":"Health Insurance,Murder,UnitedHealth Group,Brian Thompson,Social Media,Video Syndication - USAT,Video Syndication - OTT Platforms,VPC - Video Analytics","mp4URL":"https://downloadmedia.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/videos/zype/renditions/675320f2c7c9a90001dc6e55/1080p_30fps.mp4","origin":"USA TODAY","pageURL":{"long":"https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2024/12/06/unitedhealthcare-faces-backlash-after-ceos-death/76822318007/"},"promoBrief":"There's a common theme in the wave of unsympathetic posts about UnitedHealth exec Brian Thompson's death: rage against the health insurance industry.","propertyName":"USATODAY","series":"","ssts":{"section":"news","subsection":"","topic":"","subtopic":""},"tags":[{"id":"d48b37a0-57de-4440-8587-10a50002874b","name":"Health Insurance"},{"id":"e217969f-b3cb-47da-ac5a-dad36ad2f3d1","name":"Murder"},{"id":"bcf1d595-91c6-4912-a7f8-9038dcf9c6fb","name":"UnitedHealth Group"},{"id":"26e6e0f5-f39f-40ae-ade9-001952f17617","name":"Brian Thompson"},{"id":"63540128-0d03-44ec-830f-0d1d7f92deb4","name":"Social Media"},{"id":"6f55135f-3b5e-490d-8a52-a3b8e1f11ee7","name":"Video Syndication - USAT"},{"id":"16fe9f9b-4247-4e2e-a73c-9fac5b14d01b","name":"Video Syndication - OTT Platforms"},{"id":"12cc5543-9f04-49f7-9b7f-d0d46b93b8e0","name":"VPC - Video Analytics"}],"title":"Health insurance industry faces backlash after UnitedHealthcare CEO death","url":"/videos/news/2024/12/06/unitedhealthcare-faces-backlash-after-ceos-death/76822318007/"}" aria-label="Play video"><img alt="" class="gnt_em_vp_img" src="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/12/04/USAT/76765573007-horizontal-brian-thompson.png?crop=1438,808,x0,y0&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp" data-g-r="vp_po" fetchpriority="high" elementtiming="ar-lead-image" decoding="async"/><svg class="gnt_em_vp_svg"><use xlink:href="#gnt_svg_video_play"/></svg></button></div></aside><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/04/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-ceo-killed-shooting-new-york/76761205007/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson</a> was a father, Midwesterner and well-liked executive. On Wednesday, he was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/05/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-ceo-killed-manhunt-updates/76790761007/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">killed in broad daylight in Manhattan</a> – and quickly became a meme and source of ridicule on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cnn/video/7444676785331064106?q=united%20healthcare&t=1733413331217" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">social media</a>.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">His killer is still on the loose.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">"Thoughts and deductibles to the family. Unfortunately my condolences are out-of-network." "Sympathy denied. Greed is considered a pre existing condition."</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Some were <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/jjacobs22/status/1864658164399882620" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">sickened by the comments</a>: "The seemingly widespread online celebration of the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO makes me feel despair for humanity. I get that healthcare is broken, but these reactions are truly sick."</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">For some, it's easy to see why people who don't personally know Thompson might scoff at this tragedy. People are living out tragedies on a daily basis, on top of not being able to pay their healthcare bills whether they're insured or not.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><strong>Holiday deals:</strong> <a target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":body nav (shop)|e|auto spike click:6|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://www.usatoday.com/shopping/">Shop this season’s top products and sales curated by our editors.</a></p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The response is also reminiscent of the reactions from some when President-elect Donald Trump was shot earlier this year at one of his rallies, and when the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/06/21/missing-titanic-submersible-news-obsessed/70341654007/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">Titanic submersible</a> went missing last year with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/09/18/titan-submersible-implosion-hearings-info/75274346007/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">wealthy passengers aboard</a> (all five people on the ship died).</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">People can hold several thoughts at once in situations of this nature. It can be sad that a human was killed, and sad that healthcare in this country is a burden for so many.</p><figure class="gnt_em gnt_em_img"><img class="gnt_em_img_i" style="height:372px" fetchpriority="high" data-g-r="lazy" src="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/12/04/USAT/76765573007-horizontal-brian-thompson.png?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" srcset="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/12/04/USAT/76765573007-horizontal-brian-thompson.png?width=1320&height=744&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp 2x" decoding="async" alt="Brian Thompson, 50, was shot this week near the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on 54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, multiple news outlets reported, citing police sources. Thompson was named CEO for UnitedHealthcare in April 2021."/></figure><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">"The public is feeling very unheard, uncared for and unseen in our plights," says <a target="_blank" href="https://ginamoffa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-t-l=":b|z|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">Gina Moffa</a>,...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/12/05/unitedhealthcare-ceo-killed-meme/76794715007/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>