Since the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, discourse has surged across the medical insurance industry and social media, highlighting a notable lack of public sympathy. This sentiment has been so pervasive that some platform moderators are reportedly struggling to manage the backlash.
“As far as we know, the guy who killed the UnitedHealth CEO has only killed one person. The UnitedHealth CEO has killed a lot more people than that,” commented a Reddit user.
This post, among thousands of others, has gained traction since the incident on December 4. Similar sentiments echo across platforms. One BlueSky user posted, “Today we remember the legacy of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson,” alongside a bar graph showing UnitedHealthcare’s claim denial rate at 32%, double the industry average of 16%.
Even UnitedHealthcare’s own remembrance post for Thompson was met with widespread ridicule, garnering over 86,000 laughing emojis.
The public’s disdain for health insurance companies is longstanding, fueled by rising costs and barriers to care. Health care affordability was a top concern in the last presidential election, especially among older voters. According to a 2024 Kaiser Health analysis, nearly half (48%) of insured adults worry about affording monthly premiums, with many rating employer-sponsored or Marketplace insurance as “fair” or “poor” due to high premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
While public frustration with the industry is not new, the shooting has amplified these feelings. The day after the incident, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reversed its controversial plan to limit anesthesia coverage for surgeries.
"There has been significant widespread misinformation about an update to our anesthesia policy. As a result, we have decided not to proceed with this policy change," Anthem announced in a statement to NPR on December 5.
A user on X responded, “Public outcry made Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverse its decision! (I think the CEO is afraid now).”
Some insurance companies have reacted with concern to the incident by reassessing risks, with some removing photos of their leadership teams from websites.
The complex, often fraught relationship between insurers and patients is now at a boiling point. Thompson’s death has brought long-simmering tensions to the surface in an unexpected, highly visible way.
“I don’t condone murder, but the company that he was the head of is responsible for untold amounts of suffering and misery,” another Reddit user posted. “Yes, he was a man with a family. So are all the people whose claims his company denied, who failed to get needed health care as a result. In the words of Dr. Manhattan: ‘Without condemning or condoning, I understand.’”