On December 4, the sudden death of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare shook the United States. His alleged killer has just been found by the authorities. And his act is welcomed by many Americans.
Placed at one of the entrances to the Midtown hotel, in the heart of Manahattan, an individual awaits his target. Dressed in a blue suit, UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson walks past him with peace of mind. By placing himself behind, the criminal unlocks his pistol and fires three consecutive shots. Hit in the calf and back, the CEO takes a few steps before turning towards his attacker. In this last image, he collapses. At the end of his crime, the shooter fled towards Central Park on an electric bike. The police try to follow him, but lose his trail along the way.
This criminal had a specific motive, we now know, and was quickly identified. The suspect is a young man, called Luigi Mangione. And its identification constitutes an important step forward for justice, but also says something about our society. On social networks, reactions to the attack are taking on astonishing proportions. Luigi Magione’s Instagram account is quickly gaining thousands of followers. At the same time, the hashtag #FreeLuigi is making the rounds on platforms.
For a small part of the population, the alleged murderer symbolizes something: he is seen as a non-conformist figure who fought against the drift in American health. Some also take the opportunity to compliment him on his physique, as if his beauty excuses his crime: “He is only guilty of being handsome. #FreeLuigi”, comments an X user, like a summary of dozens of messages.
These reactions above all reflect a form of anger of the population towards the American health system, accused of enriching itself at the expense of patients. For good reason, access to care in the United States is very unique. The majority of Americans are covered by private insurance, primarily through employment and secondarily through the individual insurance market. “This system is vulnerable to shocks in the labor market, unemployment leading to the loss of health insurance. Some unemployed people choose to extend their employer coverage, but must then fully finance it,” indicates the Jean-Jaurès Foundation. For example, a birth in the United States can cost 15,000 dollars (or around 14,000 euros), or even 50,000 in the event of complications.
“He’s not a hero“
Some Americans were undoubtedly disappointed when they learned that he was arrested this Monday, December 9, by members of the Altoona police, a town located 500 km west of New York. He was recognized by an employee of a McDonald’s restaurant who quickly contacted the local police. His arrest was filmed by numerous American media. In the footage, he is seen exiting a police vehicle handcuffed before being escorted to a Pennsylvania state court. The 26-year-old is facing charges of murder, illegal possession of weapons and false documents.
Why this murder? Investigators found on him a three-page handwritten document evoking his “hostility towards American companies”. In addition, on the shell casings collected at the crime scene, the words “delay” and “deny” (refusal) were written, evoking rejections of claims for compensation for care by insurance companies.
Faced with the scale of the reactions generated by this assassination, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, spoke on Tuesday, December 10: “We don’t kill people in cold blood for political questions or to express a point of view”. Despite his compassion for people frustrated by the American health care system, he says he has no “tolerance” for a man resorting to “violence.” “This killer is hailed as a hero. But listen to me, he is not a hero,” he concludes.