Lori Falce: The bitter pill of an insurance CEO's murder

On Wednesday, a man died — and a lot of people just didn’t care.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down on a sidewalk as he approached the Hilton Midtown Manhattan hotel for an investors meeting, right between Rockefeller Center and Carnegie Hall. It was an early-morning ambush, and police say it was a targeted attack.

It’s the kind of thing that might draw sympathy and shock. Even if there was not pity for the person, there could often be regret for the family. Thompson had a wife and two sons.

To be clear, there is some of that empathy out there. But there are also a lot of other reactions.

For some, it’s references to karma. UnitedHealthcare has made $8.66 billion in the first three quarters of 2024. That comes as the company is known to be a prolific denier of claims. According to the Boston Globe, it denies 32% of its claims, double the industry average.

That might be the message the shooter was conveying with ammunition sporting Sharpie messages: “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” “Delay, deny and defend” are attorney and industry references to slow-walking a case through the process and defending actions in court — or with a deposition — later if necessary.

The response on social media drips with schadenfreude — a German word defining the feeling of satisfaction or pleasure from seeing someone else’s pain. Facebook and X are thick with memes and grim jokes about preapproval and appeals. TikTok is brimming with videos — some angry and some attempting to be clever.

“We appreciate your feedback. Here’s a survey you can take,” crooned singer Philip Labes.

Depending on whether you’ve had to face a critical denial or not, you might commiserate or condemn those responses.

What might be more distasteful, however, is something that was happening at another insurance company.

Starting in February, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield — a company that covers clients in Connecticut, Missouri and New York — had planned to make a major change to its anesthesia coverage. It would only pay for anesthesia for a set amount of time as determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The problem here is obvious. A surgery that might be estimated at two hours can easily take more for reasons that aren’t billable changes or complications. Anesthesia isn’t just about controlling pain. It’s about keeping a patient unconscious and immobile so surgery can be safely performed.

The Anthem plan sparked a backlash from doctors. The American Society of Anesthesiologists called it a “cynical money grab” in a letter last month urging people to take the issue up with their lawmakers.

On Thursday afternoon, as the manhunt in New York continued for Thompson’s killer, Anthem decided to roll back its plan.

Did the shooting have anything to do with Anthem’s decision? Let’s hope not. The last thing the world needs right now is to combine our gun violence issues with strategy and guile. Fear, hatred and outrage fuel enough.

We need people to care about each other more and want the best outcome for everyone, regardless of coverage and copayment.

There’s enough empathy to go around. We can give it to insurance executives and cancer patients alike. But if seeing the social media response to a tragedy put things in perspective for Anthem, maybe that’s just what the doctor ordered.