Man Accused Of Killing CEO Was Not A Member Of UnitedHealthcare
Neither suspect Luigi Mangione nor his mother are customers, the insurance giant said. Many people have speculated whether Mangione was a customer who had been denied a medical claim.
Bloomberg:
Suspect In UnitedHealth Leader’s Killing Wasn’t A Customer
The suspect charged in the killing of UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive Brian Thompson wasn’t a member of its insurance plans, a company spokesperson said. Neither Luigi Mangione nor his mother were UnitedHealthcare members, the company said, dispelling the idea that the alleged shooting was motivated by a grievance from his personal experience with the nation’s largest health insurer. (Tozzi, 12/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
Luigi Mangione’s Mother Spent Months Searching For A Son Who Didn’t Want To Be Found
Before Kathy Mangione became known as the mother of a suspected assassin, she was just a parent looking for her son. She had desperately searched for 26-year-old Luigi Mangione for the better part of a year, according to people close to the family. One said that he “went off the grid six months to a year ago and wasn’t communicating with anybody,” and that his distraught mother was doing all she could to find him. Another said the Ivy League engineering graduate was “MIA for about eight months.” The Mangiones, their relationship with Luigi, their mindset as the manhunt unfolded, and their legal and personal road ahead have spurred intense interest nationwide, especially in Baltimore, according to many residents. (Calvert, Bauerlein and Carlton, 12/12)
The Guardian:
Lawyer Of Suspect In Healthcare Exec Killing Explains Client’s Outburst At Jail
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in the New York murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is agitated and irritated about his treatment since he was arrested on Monday and held in a Pennsylvania jail, according to his lawyer. Mangione cried out cryptic words when he was outside the Blair county, Pennsylvania, courthouse where he faces extradition to New York on murder and other charges. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, he shouted out: “It’s completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!” Dickey said Mangione’s anger was in part because of his lack of legal representation until that moment. After the lawyer and Mangione met, his demeanor changed, Dickey told CNN. (Pilkington, 12/12)
NPR:
UHC Murder Suspect Railed About U.S. Health Care. Here's What He Missed
It's true that U.S. health care is uniquely costly and often frustrating, but experts say the reasons our life expectancy trails many comparable nations are complex. While problems with health care access cause suffering, health care is not the main factor behind poor life expectancy, says Dr. Steven Woolf, director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. (Simmons-Duffin, 12/12)
The New York Times:
When a Glock Isn’t a Glock: The History of the Pistol Found With Luigi Mangione
At first glance, the gun in the police photographs — the one the authorities believe Luigi Mangione used to kill the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare — appears to be a Glock-19, a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol used by military forces, police officers, civilians and criminals all over the world. But upon closer inspection, it is clear that the weapon was not factory-made, but was at least partially produced by a 3D printer. The giveaways are subtle: The Glock logo is absent from the pistol’s grip, where it would ordinarily be imprinted, and the angle of the grip is peculiar. Indentations on the grip, known as stippling, are patterned in such a way that the gun’s “fingerprint” can be directly linked to a unique free-to-download 3D-printed design known as the FMDA 19.2 Chairmanwon Remix. (Gibbons-Neff and Toler, 12/12)
KFF Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast:
A Killing Touches Off Backlash Against Health Insurers
The shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of New York City prompted a surprising wave of sympathy for the perpetrator, rather than the victim, from Americans who say they have been wronged by their health insurers. It remains to be seen whether backlash from the killing will result in a more serious conversation about what ails the health care system. (12/12)
In related news —
The Hill:
Florida Woman Accused Of Threatening Insurance Company, Saying, ‘Delay, Deny, Depose’
A Florida woman who is accused of ending a call to an insurance company with the words “delay, deny, depose” was charged Tuesday. Briana Boston, 42, had reportedly placed a call to BlueCross BlueShield regarding recent medical insurance claims she was denied. The entire phone call was recorded, according to the affidavit. Near the end of the call, investigators said Boston could be heard stating, “Delay, deny, depose. You people are next.” (Rains, 12/12)
