And then it hit me—this wasn’t schadenfreude over a life lost. It was something more profound: the collective catharsis of those crushed under the grinding gears of profit-driven cruelty.
I used to believe the insurance company UHC was trying to drive me to suicide. Now I know it’s true. Reading internal memos—it’s there in black and white. They’ve compromised my health and taken years off my life.
Maybe his death will bring about some change; if it does, it will be short lived. Until the next media event distracts us again and they will slide back to their old ways.
I’ll like your comment. We are being herded and engineered into profit making mill by being held hostage by health insurance companies who’ve lost any shred of humanity. We’re dollar signs to them. They charge outrageous premiums then equally outrageous copays and outrageously priced medications. The last step is to deny care and keep all the money Americans have paid in good faith for healthcare for themselves and their families. What we get in return is promises made in bad faith, denial of benefits and lack of accountability, necessary care, and eventually bought off judges who have been paid in advance to deny our claims.
Now you wonder what are the circumstances that lead to what’s his name billionaire’s death? Was a child lost due to denial of care?
Because I can guarantee there was a deep sense loss to finally cause someone to act in such a permanent manner. It’s not merrymaking or schadenfreude, it’s being treated so unjustly by people who are who are paid to care. To hear there has been an action in retaliation against this profit mill hits a nerve in us that enough is enough.
I agree. Who’s going to be the watchers? The whistle blowers? Or will they quietly go back to denying needed medication? You end up with a $10,000 bill?
Never, ever, ever trust them as far as you can throw them! We Americans deserve and have paid for better healthcare and the healthcare industries serve up profit margins and make money by denying care.
Great piece. I’m not for any violence but I admit- when I heard about the shooting I just shrugged. 🤷♀️ Americas for profit healthcare system kills patients. It’s appalling.
I recently visited the killing grounds in Cambodia where 3,000,000 of Pol Pot’s fellow citizens were murdered because of a difference in philosophy about how a country should exist.
The killing of this CEO is no more tragic—maybe less so—than the murder of any one of these men, women and children. This is no more tragic than the strange fruit hanging from the popular tree.
I do not celebrate this murder. I do not condone this murder. Yet, I understand it.
The Repubs have no room to criticize Dems for a less than mournful response to the CEO story when they were buckled over laughing and rejoicing when Nancy Peloci's husband was attacked with a hammer. They aren't exactly the model for compassionate responses.
My bet is on them continuing to profit off of people’s misery and just going to virtual meetings. They will hire more security, the cost of which will be passed on in the form of higher premiums. You watch: there are going to be more of these vigilante actions. The question is, will they shrug it off as the random actions of the mentally ill—as they are so good at doing in school shootings—or will they finally get tough on gun control because it’s rich white men who are being harmed? I’m guessing the latter.
I think so, too; it didn't matter when it was just us unwashed masses getting killed, but "Oh noes, not the Oligarchs...!" Yeah, and they wonder why we are all collectively pissed!
Thank you, Alicia, for a dose of sanity, and a balanced perspective! I also don't approve of violence, but I do approve of self defense and justice. Your level-headed analysis once again helps us understand the gut feelings we experience and how we should work to change things that are wrong without resorting to force, however much deserved.
Of course, karma can be bitch, and I doubt I would mourn too much if some of the worst traitors to our country and people suffered horribly at the hands of those they brutalized.
Thank you, Paul. I mean, we can both empathize with the man's family and decry violence while also understanding what drove someone to do something this awful. This kind of anger will never stop if we can't look at and address where the anger lies. I can only hope this is a wake-up call of a sort. Hugs to you.
Hugs to you back! One thing I really need to work on is connecting better with our community. You give me hope that it can be done, and all of us can really make a difference, keeping this country from runaway dictatorship.
Thank you so much for all your insights and inspirations!
Regrettably, this killing was only the spark. The tinder is brittle and it's only a matter of time before a bullet finds each and every exploiter. Problem is, once the routine killing begins, it will be very difficult to stop - like school shootings.
Alicia, thank you so much for a truly powerful essay. Your combining information from the lack of protection for children during the Industrial Revolution, to hucckabee's actions today; and combining the sick psychology of a muskrat + Forbes's glorification of the same, with the sick quote by him; and closing with the Truth spoken by Samuel Jackson -- is outstanding. This deserves to be an essay in... oops, where?? Not the NYT or the WaPo. Where, then, in this nation are words of truth welcome? Apparently even MSNBC is circling the drain. (If you haven't read Mika's comments about throwing David Frum off of "morning joe", and APOLOGIZING TO FOX for what he said, you ain't seen the worst yet.) Anyway, thank you for this, Alicia. I know you put a lot of time and energy into this.
As long as Morning Joe continues to exist on MSNBC I will no longer watch MSNBC. I have let them dissipate into the cleansing winds of honest reporting.
A brilliant and excellent commentary on the role of health care in America.
For 30 years I worked for a non-profit health care provider in California. It was not the pockets of healthcare executives we cared about; it was the people who paid for the healthcare. The model was and is about illness prevention and providing care... no, father may I... stuff. Yes, the company still needed a profit margin, but the profits went back into the community, into new technologies, into pay practices, new health care methods, and yes, executives were handsomely paid.
The for-profit model of care incentivizes doing less for more. The model sucks.
...and the C-level folks, in their infinite wisdom, are taking steps to fix these problems, across *many* industries.
Nah, just kidding. They're scrambling to arrange increased security for themselves, and to scrub the Internet of all references about themselves. I shit you not.
This is it exactly. You hit the nail on the head.
And then it hit me—this wasn’t schadenfreude over a life lost. It was something more profound: the collective catharsis of those crushed under the grinding gears of profit-driven cruelty.
I used to believe the insurance company UHC was trying to drive me to suicide. Now I know it’s true. Reading internal memos—it’s there in black and white. They’ve compromised my health and taken years off my life.
Maybe his death will bring about some change; if it does, it will be short lived. Until the next media event distracts us again and they will slide back to their old ways.
I’m sorry for your pain, so I don’t want to love the comment. You are so right, though
I’ll like your comment. We are being herded and engineered into profit making mill by being held hostage by health insurance companies who’ve lost any shred of humanity. We’re dollar signs to them. They charge outrageous premiums then equally outrageous copays and outrageously priced medications. The last step is to deny care and keep all the money Americans have paid in good faith for healthcare for themselves and their families. What we get in return is promises made in bad faith, denial of benefits and lack of accountability, necessary care, and eventually bought off judges who have been paid in advance to deny our claims.
Now you wonder what are the circumstances that lead to what’s his name billionaire’s death? Was a child lost due to denial of care?
Because I can guarantee there was a deep sense loss to finally cause someone to act in such a permanent manner. It’s not merrymaking or schadenfreude, it’s being treated so unjustly by people who are who are paid to care. To hear there has been an action in retaliation against this profit mill hits a nerve in us that enough is enough.
It’s telling that Anthem wanted to cut off the amount of anesthesia one can have during surgery then walked that back asap when this UHC story broke.
Saw that, and so in a way, yes, this event has made some of these assholes re-examine their awful stances.
I agree. Who’s going to be the watchers? The whistle blowers? Or will they quietly go back to denying needed medication? You end up with a $10,000 bill?
Never, ever, ever trust them as far as you can throw them! We Americans deserve and have paid for better healthcare and the healthcare industries serve up profit margins and make money by denying care.
Great piece. I’m not for any violence but I admit- when I heard about the shooting I just shrugged. 🤷♀️ Americas for profit healthcare system kills patients. It’s appalling.
Indeed--no one is writing pieces on the child denied healthcare under Thompson and others who feed off of misery.
A former Congressman , Allan Grayson, said it best: Don't get sick! If you do get sick, die quickly.
😭😭😭. Charlie, it’s true.
It is.
Chilling, and true
That has been the Republican view on healthcare in America since 1962 or so.
I recently visited the killing grounds in Cambodia where 3,000,000 of Pol Pot’s fellow citizens were murdered because of a difference in philosophy about how a country should exist.
The killing of this CEO is no more tragic—maybe less so—than the murder of any one of these men, women and children. This is no more tragic than the strange fruit hanging from the popular tree.
I do not celebrate this murder. I do not condone this murder. Yet, I understand it.
“I don’t really care, do u?” was my reaction when I heard about the shooting.
Indeed, I only feel bad for his kiddos.
The Repubs have no room to criticize Dems for a less than mournful response to the CEO story when they were buckled over laughing and rejoicing when Nancy Peloci's husband was attacked with a hammer. They aren't exactly the model for compassionate responses.
When I brought this up to my junior senator’s staff, there were two FBI guys knocking on my door two days later.
Note: Do not mention Senator John Neely Kennedy’s wife by name and wonder how he would feel if HE were in Nancy’s 5” heels.
My bet is on them continuing to profit off of people’s misery and just going to virtual meetings. They will hire more security, the cost of which will be passed on in the form of higher premiums. You watch: there are going to be more of these vigilante actions. The question is, will they shrug it off as the random actions of the mentally ill—as they are so good at doing in school shootings—or will they finally get tough on gun control because it’s rich white men who are being harmed? I’m guessing the latter.
I think so, too; it didn't matter when it was just us unwashed masses getting killed, but "Oh noes, not the Oligarchs...!" Yeah, and they wonder why we are all collectively pissed!
Maybe, just maybe some of the corporate titans will sit up and take notice. I doubt it, but I can hope for a maybe and then shit in the other hand.
Indeed--they are too heartless to understand our righteous anger here--but maybe some will. Maybe.
You hit the nail on the head.
Thank you, Alicia, for a dose of sanity, and a balanced perspective! I also don't approve of violence, but I do approve of self defense and justice. Your level-headed analysis once again helps us understand the gut feelings we experience and how we should work to change things that are wrong without resorting to force, however much deserved.
Of course, karma can be bitch, and I doubt I would mourn too much if some of the worst traitors to our country and people suffered horribly at the hands of those they brutalized.
Thank you, Paul. I mean, we can both empathize with the man's family and decry violence while also understanding what drove someone to do something this awful. This kind of anger will never stop if we can't look at and address where the anger lies. I can only hope this is a wake-up call of a sort. Hugs to you.
Hugs to you back! One thing I really need to work on is connecting better with our community. You give me hope that it can be done, and all of us can really make a difference, keeping this country from runaway dictatorship.
Thank you so much for all your insights and inspirations!
Regrettably, this killing was only the spark. The tinder is brittle and it's only a matter of time before a bullet finds each and every exploiter. Problem is, once the routine killing begins, it will be very difficult to stop - like school shootings.
Agreed--which is why, while I understand the rage, I am afraid of the door it opens to solve things this way.
Alicia, thank you so much for a truly powerful essay. Your combining information from the lack of protection for children during the Industrial Revolution, to hucckabee's actions today; and combining the sick psychology of a muskrat + Forbes's glorification of the same, with the sick quote by him; and closing with the Truth spoken by Samuel Jackson -- is outstanding. This deserves to be an essay in... oops, where?? Not the NYT or the WaPo. Where, then, in this nation are words of truth welcome? Apparently even MSNBC is circling the drain. (If you haven't read Mika's comments about throwing David Frum off of "morning joe", and APOLOGIZING TO FOX for what he said, you ain't seen the worst yet.) Anyway, thank you for this, Alicia. I know you put a lot of time and energy into this.
As long as Morning Joe continues to exist on MSNBC I will no longer watch MSNBC. I have let them dissipate into the cleansing winds of honest reporting.
EXACTLY!!
A brilliant and excellent commentary on the role of health care in America.
For 30 years I worked for a non-profit health care provider in California. It was not the pockets of healthcare executives we cared about; it was the people who paid for the healthcare. The model was and is about illness prevention and providing care... no, father may I... stuff. Yes, the company still needed a profit margin, but the profits went back into the community, into new technologies, into pay practices, new health care methods, and yes, executives were handsomely paid.
The for-profit model of care incentivizes doing less for more. The model sucks.
I love this post, Alicia. I reposted it with comments
Appreciate you, thank you.
...and the C-level folks, in their infinite wisdom, are taking steps to fix these problems, across *many* industries.
Nah, just kidding. They're scrambling to arrange increased security for themselves, and to scrub the Internet of all references about themselves. I shit you not.
Yeah, I saw that. Way to really address the problem--these C-suite assholes, man!