It’s no secret that the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—allegedly by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione—unleashed a tide of rage towards the deeply problematic US well being care system. But in keeping with a brand new ballot, frustration with the business is so critical that many Americans consider that Mangione wasn’t solely accountable for Thompson’s dying, and that the insurance coverage business performed a major function.
To be clear, we’re not speaking right here about social media conspiracies concerning the taking pictures, equivalent to these linking Luigi Mangione’s Pokemon of alternative (Breloom, in fact) with insurance coverage declare denial codes. Pollsters on the nonpartisan analysis group NORC on the University of Chicago interviewed 1,001 adults between December 12-16, asking them first about their familiarity with the case. Of these, 39 % mentioned they’d heard “a lot,” whereas an unbelievable 9 % mentioned they’d heard nothing in any respect.
Of these, about 8 in 10 mentioned that they believed that Mangione had both “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” culpability in Thompson’s dying, however 7 in 10 additionally consider that insurance coverage firm protection denials, equivalent to UnitedHealthcare’s AI-generated rejections—bear “a moderate amount” of duty for the murder. Insurance firm earnings, equivalent to UnitedHealth’s $371.6 billion in 2023, have been additionally cited by respondents as accountable for the deadly taking pictures.
As anticipated, Mangione was extradited from a Pennsylvania jail on December 19, and was transported to New York to face fees of together with first-degree homicide in furtherance of terrorism. He appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday and pleaded not responsible to all fees. A crowd of protesters stood exterior through the proceedings, many with indicators bearing slogans crucial of UnitedHealth and different giant insurance coverage corporations, a scene that definitely underscores the feelings of the poll-takers.
