this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2024
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Summary

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has ignited outrage over the state of U.S. healthcare.

While his murder shocked many, online reactions highlighted public frustration with private insurers, citing denied care, high costs, and systemic bureaucracy.

UnitedHealthcare, a major industry player, has faced scrutiny for practices perceived as prioritizing profit over patients.

The attack, which appears premeditated, underscores rising tensions around healthcare inequality.

Experts see this as part of a broader trend toward violence over societal disputes, reflecting deep dissatisfaction with the American healthcare system.

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[–] [email protected] 124 points 6 days ago (3 children)

lol .... Private health care sends thousands or even millions to an early death and no one says anything or cares for a moment

One CEO gets killed and now we start asking questions about the state of private health care

[–] [email protected] 46 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

This situation is proving at least some of a joke I heard somewhere once to be true:

"If you took all the top CEOs of all the biggest corporations and gave them cancer, we would have 37 different cures in a month, tops."

[–] whostosay 23 points 6 days ago

They would have*

We don't get shit.

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 5 days ago

Disgusting narrative. The violence in this story was mostly committed by the CEO. Its his violence that we must be talking about

[–] [email protected] 85 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Experts see this as part of a broader trend toward violence over societal disputes, reflecting ~~deep dissatisfaction with~~ anger at the blatant corruption of the American healthcare system.

FTFY

[–] [email protected] 108 points 6 days ago (3 children)

That belies the shock also generated by the brutality of Thompson’s death.

It wasn't brutal. He died with no fear and very quickly. That's a lot better than many of the patients his company denied coverage for can say.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The news anchors / article writer had to say that because otherwise they get fired.

[–] peopleproblems 25 points 6 days ago

And, by nature of the corrupt system, lose their health insurance

[–] Anamnesis 21 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

People aren't shocked by his death. We're at the very least unsympathetic. And many of us are positively giddy.

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[–] Lennnny 70 points 6 days ago

Wait, let's see... I have to spend hundreds of dollars a month so when I get sick or injured, I have to pay hundreds of dollars upfront to meet a requirement to still pay a large portion of the bill. All so some mediocre guy with excessive wealth can buy another yacht. My health is a commodity to them. And I'm supposed to give ANY fucks when it all goes wrong for them? Did that dude spare even a moment to think about the people choosing a slow agonizing death to spare their family a life of medical debt? This man ran a racket that paid for his vacations with people's lives, and now it's come back to bite him (to death). I ain't mad.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 days ago

I like this headline because for once the “sparks outrage” cliche has some real meaning to it.

People have been mad about healthcare for ages. But it hasn’t lit up, it’s just sort of passively lingering like a gas leak. All it took was one snap to light the flames.

Anyway, I don’t condone violence but this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The rotten egg smell is everywhere and we’ve tried calling the gas department for decades and no one has come to help. If there are further victims of violence, the majority of the blood will be on the hands of the oppressive class who failed to protect themselves by treating their subordinates as human.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. -JF damn K

[–] TheDemonBuer 57 points 6 days ago (1 children)

UnitedHealthcare, a major industry player, has faced scrutiny for practices perceived as prioritizing profit over patients.

Perceived? Of course they prioritize profit over patients. They, along with every other capitalist firm, must prioritize profit over every other consideration. Everything is secondary to maximum, ever increasing profits.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 days ago

Parasite apologists are also gencoide apologists...

Regime whores reporting for duty 🙄

[–] Supervisor194 44 points 6 days ago (4 children)

While his murder shocked many

His murder shocked literally nobody.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 6 days ago (2 children)

The shocking thing is it doesn't happen more often tbh.

[–] jaybone 16 points 5 days ago

Maybe the would-be school shooters will see this response online and find a healthier outlet for their angst.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It’s like that scene in Fight Club that discusses the homework of starting a fight. It’s difficult because the majority of people, are not wired that way. And that is a good thing.

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[–] Aceticon 33 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Curiously, successive governments in the UK (where The Guardian is based) have been slowly destroying the National Health Service.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 days ago (2 children)

The same thing has been happening in some Canadian provinces where there are conservative governments.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Isn't it ironic to call them conservative as they are trying to up-end the status quo?

Comically enough, it is they who are trying to force through more liberal laws for companies which will ultimately cost the common person more.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Not sure I followed your entire meaning, but your comment is funny, because when I wrote "conservative" it left a sour taste in my mouth.

I think modern conservatives are regressive, liberals are conservative and progressives or leftists are progressive.

So yes, "conservative" parties in Canada are trying to dismantle our health care system (i.e., regress).

And the "liberal" parties aren't doing much to save it. It's hard to justify spending money on it when those same funds could go to private interests instead.

And the actual progressive parties don't get elected unless you're in BC and incompetence still fucks things up anyway.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

UK government is speed running the country into the gutter on behalf of their globalist ruling elites.

But British are more reserved, they can take more abuse apparently

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[–] Itdidnttrickledown 28 points 5 days ago (5 children)

Its not the health care that is at fault. Its the useless insurance companies that degrade it. The practicing medical professionals are as a rule competent and engaged in their profession. The problems starts at the admin level of any medical organization and just get more inefficient the lower it goes in the chain.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It is actually just incredible just how medical insurance companies aren't considered legally frauds.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

... I would honestly say that it's the whole system that is to be changed...

America's pay the higher fees in terms of health care for one of the lowest amount of services....

As George Carlin said about elites, view the link from YouTube for more info : https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Pmo_zA8UAEA

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 5 days ago

Sympathy out of network

[–] [email protected] 40 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Maybe you shouldn't have an accountant in charge of a "healthcare" company.

I'm sorry for the multiple comments. I have a lot of background and trauma related to dealing with health insurance companies. They are parasites sucking out the blood of those who can least afford it and ruining their lives when they can't pay the bills left over after they deny claims.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 days ago (7 children)

Healthcare companies should only be allowed to operate under non-profit rules.

There should be no incentive for profit on people's health.

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[–] Benjaben 12 points 6 days ago

And the thing is, the "trade" they inflict is just so amazingly unreasonable. The incredible misery they cause, replicated over so many people, and for truly no greater purpose than keeping up with the perverse status symbol competition amongst their hideous peers. Absolutely wild, unhinged, clearly malignant behavior.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 days ago

Parasites at least play an important role in their ecosystems. I have no (or too many) words to describe my hatred for people like this that commit social murder all the time.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Experts see this as part of a broader trend toward violence over societal disputes

If you take away everything, at some point, people have nothing to lose

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 days ago (1 children)

So far, i cant afford a house or a family. If i lost my partner, my only stability, to a treatable illness..

I wonder how many people in this country feel just like me

[–] BuckWylde 5 points 5 days ago

I'm guessing a lot of them.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 days ago (2 children)

From FDR to ~1981 we invested in the creation of a middle class. Oh yes, the middle class was created by government subsidy. The 1950s was unique because the prosperous creation blasted into the American scene for the first time. It evolved from there, in part, because it was also being built on the backs of women being crushed into singular stifling roles. Go ahead, ask your boomer mom about her mom, how happy and sane and unmedicated she was. Outliers exist. But that piece is for another thread.

Subsidizing middle class began to be peeled away ~1981. Basically, the theory was, investing in the investors and corporate is simply more efficient, financially, and will trickle down to the rest of society. We’ve all felt the long term impact of that experiment and it’s not making anyone working class very happy.

2021, yea GramPOTUS started to peel back up pre1981. Have we felt it? Teamsters maybe in knowing they still have a retirement, but the truth of it is, breaking shit has lasting impact and turning it around will not be felt for a while.

I highly doubt 2025 will subsidize the middle class and try to get us back to pre-1981. But we will see.

My point is, this financial squeeze is the culmination of 40yrs of government policy. Bezos gets a penis rocket, we get lack of homes, healthcare debt, the inability to raise children due to costs, and a wonderful feeling of anxiety and anger.

Either way. 1950s or the present crushing situation: government created.

[–] D1G17AL 12 points 6 days ago

They shouldn't be surprised at the reaction when they are actively doing this to THE WORLDS MOST WELL-ARMED POPULATION. What the fuck did they think would happen?

[–] theangryseal 7 points 5 days ago

That thing about asking my mom about her mom. She wouldn’t be able to tell me much. My aunts and uncle are boomers, my mom is gen x. She was born 10 years after her youngest sibling so obviously a total accident.

Her mom shot herself when my mom was only 4 years old. So, yeah. You got it right.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 days ago (1 children)

There is no other way this ends. The corpos are so moneyblind that they don't see it.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Okay I was trying to do a "citation needed" joke but superscripts don't seem to work.

WHo was "shocked" by this?

[–] JcbAzPx 6 points 5 days ago

Mostly other CEOs and a lot of the media.

[–] Zachariah 11 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (41 children)

Option 1: Vote for Democrats / vote for a woman for president to get incremental improvements to healthcare and society.
Americans: yawn

Option 2: Start murdering the powerful capitalist oligarchs which will lead to zero improvements in healthcare and society but fuels fantasies of revenge and temporarily feels good.
Americans: “Yay!”

Edit: I’m not even saying we need to pick just one option. But shouldn’t Option 1 also be “yay” if Option 2 is? Why limit how pressure is applied to just picking the violent option? It’s weird how even marches and unions get a lukewarm response compared to vigilantism.

And these replies I’m getting are interesting. I didn’t expect so many attempts to justify that only a violent option ever would do any good. Let’s say that violence is the most effective option. Does that really mean we don’t try any other options? If I was this inflexible in my day-to-day life, I’d never get anything done.

[–] niktemadur 14 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

It's like Richard Pryor said about crack:

Old white women see addicted kids in the ghetto and shrug "Well isn't that terrible?"
Then crack arrives at their suburbs and they're "OH MY GOD IT'S AN EPIDEMIC!"

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[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (4 children)

Start murdering the powerful capitalist oligarchs which will lead to zero improvements in healthcare and society

That implies a trend instead of a one off like this. A trend would absolutely ultimately lead to improvements. The oligarchy that rules us isn't listening to polite letters and protests asking them to change.

But if they discover that their actions lead to great personal risk, they'll quickly change their actions to avoid the risk. That means lower (fair) pay for the CEOs/stockholders. That means an end to the scamming they do through insurance. That means an end to price gouging in the grocery store.

The reason everything is shit (aside from the destruction of the middle class and housing crisis, which is itself caused by the oligarchy), is that the oligarchy is brazen and unafraid of risk in their wealth extraction.

Does that really mean we don’t try any other options?

That's what we've been doing for the last two decades, and it's got us basically nowhere.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I didn’t expect so many attempts to justify that only a violent option ever would do any good

USAmericans love violence. Look at their media, it's full of it. They'd rather see a gun advert or a story of some school children getting shot than a naked boob.

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