Many believe the US healthcare industry was responsible for the murder of CEOs, polls show

In a new pollMore than two-thirds of respondents said they believed coverage denials and profits in the health insurance industry were partially responsible for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in early December.

Thompson was shot dead on the streets of Manhattan. His killer fled, sparking a nationwide manhunt that ended when Luigi Mangione was arrested and charged with the murder after being arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Mangione’s alleged writings indicated that he was angry with the US health care industry and viewed it as exploitative.

The director’s death also sparked an outpouring of public anger toward the health care industry, with many Americans taking to social media to share stories of bad experiences at the hands of America’s for-profit health care system.

Nearly 70% of respondents said “denials for health care coverage by health insurers” shared a “great” or “moderate amount” of responsibility. Sixty-seven percent said “profits made by health insurers” shared “a large portion” or a “moderate portion” of the responsibility.

Twenty percent of respondents in the new poll said “the person who committed the murder” bore “only a little” responsibility or “no responsibility at all” for Thompson’s death. On the other hand, 78% said that person had “a lot” or “moderate” responsibility.

The poll, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, surveyed 1,001 participants from 50 states and the District of Columbia. The participants were all 18 years or older. The survey was conducted between December 12 and December 16.

According to the poll, Americans were aware of news of the CEO’s murder, with 73% of respondents saying they had heard “a lot” or “sometimes” about the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. Twenty-seven percent said they heard “only a little” or “nothing at all.”

Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they had never personally had any problems with their health insurance. 57% say their immediate family has never had a problem and 53% say their close friends have never had a problem.

But 15% say they have had a claim personally denied, 13% had difficulty obtaining prior authorization, 16% had difficulty finding a suitable provider within their covered network, and 7% had no health insurance.

Forty-one percent of respondents said they were “not very concerned” or “not at all concerned” about “the possibility of further violence directed against healthcare executives or executives from other industries,” while 39% said they were “somewhat concerned” were. concerned.” Nineteen percent said they were “extremely” or “very” concerned.