Summary

The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has drawn attention due to the phrase “deny, defend, depose” reportedly written on the shooter’s ammunition, echoing criticism of insurer practices like “delay, deny, defend.”

UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest U.S. health insurers, has faced scrutiny over claim denials and delays, including a Senate report highlighting issues with Medicare Advantage prior authorizations.

The killing has sparked public outrage and dark humor on social media, reflecting widespread frustration with health insurers, which many blame for rising healthcare costs and access barriers.

  • Sludgehammer@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has drawn attention due to the phrase “deny, defend, depose” reportedly written on the shooter’s ammunition, echoing criticism of insurer practices like “delay, deny, defend.”

    I’m guessing he didn’t consider the LIFO nature of a clip when loading, and “depose” is his answer to “delay, deny, defend”. So he put depose, defend, and deny into the CEO in that order

  • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    The killing has sparked public outrage

    I legitimately haven’t seen a single person upset other than someone posting a screenshot of Tim Walz doing the typical tweet of condolences

    • candybrie@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      You got to read more of the sentence:

      The killing has sparked public outrage and dark humor on social media, reflecting widespread frustration with health insurers

      The outrage isn’t about the killing. The outrage is about the health insurers. The killing is just the spark that got us all to talk about it.

    • starman2112@sh.itjust.works
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      20 days ago

      Weirdly, I’ve seen a few .ml usernames complaining about how killing people is always evil, and that we’re evil for glorifying it

      • JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee
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        20 days ago

        I assume those people are trolls of the contrarian category.

        People are too thrilled to be upset by trolling attempts about the topic. That’s actually impressive.

    • Kbobabob@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      I’m outraged… The way that healthcare companies decide who gets to live and who needs to die for profit.

    • Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works
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      20 days ago

      Reading the article, it’s either a poor choice of words on the part of the AP journalist, or a deliberate choice of words to muddy the situation when this inevitably gets compressed into a short reference memory as the news cycle moves on.

      What’s described is very much the outrage expressed against insurance practices re: medical care, part of the celebration of this guy’s death.

  • Rapidcreek@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    So, he apparently wanted it read. So, it could either be a true motive or a setup to cover other reasons.

  • Josey_Wales@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    “Sparked public outrage”

    Only reference in article is a link to another story discussing outrage on social media in general. AP is pushing a capitalist agenda.

    I personally haven’t seen any outrage. Just that dark humor.

      • nomous@lemmy.world
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        20 days ago

        My dad got fucked around by insurance until he spent the rest of his (probably shortened) life in a wheelchair. For profit insurance should be a crime, they’re all ghouls, fuck em all.

    • b34k@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      The only outrage I’ve seen is directed towards mods on various platforms for locking community discussion about this incident.

    • TheTechnician27@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      I think you’re misreading this sentence: I think it’s clearly implying public outrage surrounding US health insurance, not about the killing itself. “The killing has sparked public outrage and dark humor on social media” pretty clearly implies to me that they mean the public outrage associated with the dark humor.

    • dvlsg@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      I’ve seen plenty of outrage.

      It’s just all targeted at the insurance companies.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      He was using a suppressor that looks like it wasn’t installed correctly and the gun jammed multiple times. Clearing those jams resulted in several unfired rounds being ejected onto the ground.

      Just screwing a can onto a threaded barrel on a tilt-barrel automatic can keep the gun from cycling properly. You often need to have a special adapter between the barrel and the supressor for it to operate.

        • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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          20 days ago

          You can get away with that on guns without tilting barrels or moving slides most of the time. But between the weight of the supressor and possible interference with moving parts it can be an issue with something like a Glock.

        • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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          20 days ago

          You can usually get them installed in such a way. When I took my concealed weapons class in Florida years ago they handed us an old browning with a silencer like you speak of. They wanted to make sure everyone had at least fired a gun before giving them clearance to get a permit to hide one and carry it around in public with you everywhere. (Which you are not actually required to have ever fired a weapon before to acquire). At the time that one evening class I took would permit someone to carry concealed in 37 states… That’s how lax our gun laws are.

          Suppressors have much stricter requirements in most states though. Although many people including the truck I drove behind earlier today seem to think those laws should be more lax.

  • sumguyonline@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    The pigs hunting this soldier need to take note. There’s a lot of angry, sick, and wronged people in the world, that these rich fucks are doing the evils to. We execute a CEO in broad daylight and within days another insurer planned to limit anesthesia. The board of directors will be getting executed next, the pigs need to get their heads out of their asses and realize who’s side their on. They are currently standing where the enemy of the people stands. It’s a dangerous place, and we are hungry.

    • Nastybutler@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      Unless you’re the guy who pulled the trigger or helped him in some way, stop saying “we” while sitting safely behind your keyboard

        • 4am@lemm.ee
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          21 days ago

          Which is where 99% of their membership seeks care, and now will not have this issue.

          But yeah this sucks for the anesthesiologists at say, Mass General when someone from CT comes up to Boston for something complicated.

          This is what is happening now that they can no longer squeeze groups or individuals for more cost share, for more premiums. No one can afford it. Then they try to get creative cutting services.

        • kipo@lemm.ee
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          20 days ago

          They absolutely will, as soon as the media spotlight is off them. Or, they’ll come up with an alternative cut to the health plans that’s even more cruel and profitable. It is what the system demands.

  • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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    21 days ago

    the phrase “deny, defend, depose” reportedly written on the shooter’s ammunition

    This is likely in reference to a book that is highly critical of the medical insurance field called “Delay, Deny Defend”. Except here, the shooter actually did depose the CEO for his company’s actions.

  • kemsat@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    “Sparked public outrage” Where? The CEO’s of America headquarters? I’ve literally only seen elation & humorous remarks.

    • samus12345@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      “If there is any person in the town, who feels emotion caused by this man’s death,” said Scrooge quite agonised, “show that person to me, Spirit, I beseech you.”

  • originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee
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    21 days ago

    If they catch this guy he will never see trial. No way they’d risk him getting up on the stand, and even less likely they’d want to try their luck getting twelve people to convict. He’ll go down in a hail of gunfire or get Epstein’d

      • Manalith@midwest.social
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        20 days ago

        Chances are they find someone they can pass off as him and then take him out publicly enough that everyone just accepts that it must’ve been the guy.

        Probably not the right call if this guy was planning to go vigilante and wasn’t just upset at a loss he had to endure specifically because of united.

    • kuato@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      No way they’d risk him getting up on the stand

      Defendants don’t get up on the stand if they want any chance of a not guilt verdict.

      and even less likely they’d want to try their luck getting twelve people to convict.

      It’s not so unlikely. It ought to be, but it isn’t.

      • originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee
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        20 days ago

        You think they’re willing to take the chance that the guy who assassinated a CEO with bullets with messages on them wouldn’t take the stand to deliver a monologue?

        • kuato@lemmy.world
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          20 days ago

          Yes. I think your perspective is through Hollywood-tinted glasses. When was the last time something like that happened in real life and actually had devastating effects on the ruling class?

  • modus@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    Interestingly, NYT doesn’t mention the word “depose” in any of their articles on the matter.

    • olympicyes@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      I thought you had to be wrong but I just checked and you’re right. They all mention “‘delay’, ‘deny’, and other words”. The only article published by The NY Times that included “depose” on the casings was in an opinion piece by Zaynep Tufekci published today that referenced the AP News articles.

      Then came the reports that bullet casings bearing the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose were found at the scene. “Delay” and “deny” clearly echo tactics insurers use to avoid paying claims. “Depose”? Well, that’s the sudden, forceful removal from a high position. Ah.