America’s Violent Health System
Creator: Ronen Tivony | Credit: NurPhoto via Getty ImagesCopyright: Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto
An unknown assailant killed the UnitedHealth CEO in broad daylight—and the majority of people watching laughed. Why?
Let’s Start With a Question
Can we agree that in the wealthiest country on Earth, no parent should have to watch their severely asthmatic child gasp for air because health insurance corporations deny them care? In 2017 I received a call from my wife Ayesha, frantic as she drove our then 4-year-old son to his doctor as he suffered an asthma attack. I was out of state and felt helpless but knew Ayesha would not relent until our son was safe.
Horrifyingly, our son’s doctor would not see him because our insurance company declined coverage on the spot. My wife offered to pay out of pocket (by clearing out what little we had in our savings). The doctor explained that they also could not accept cash payments as our insurance company had a provision restricting cash payments when they were our insurer. Ridiculously, our insurance company was simultaneously denying us coverage, while preventing our doctor from treating us because, perhaps because they did not want to lose the revenue of a cash payment.
Finally, Ayesha rushed our son to the emergency room, where they were able to treat him and alleviate his asthma attack. It took us more than a year to pay the several thousand dollar emergency room bill.
Our health insurance company, the one who denied us care, was UnitedHealth.
Unfortunately, our story is not unique and the consequences are staggering. According to The Lancet, at least 68,000 Americans die preventable deaths every year because they are denied care or can’t afford it. That’s 68,000 people—grandparents, children, and loved ones—lost because healthcare in America is treated as a commodity rather than a basic human right.
And while we express disgust at the reckless killing of the UnitedHealth CEO, why stop there? Where is the outrage at UnitedHealth for perpetually being the worst offender and rejecting more insurance claims than any other company—rejections that cost countless lives annually?
My child was among the 32% of patients suffering a medical emergency, denied care because UnitedHealth felt their right to make money was more important than my child’s right to live. And my son is not alone. Last year UnitedHealth fired its intake team and implemented AI technology to process insurance claims for senior citizens. This decision resulted in the rejection of more than 90% of claims for senior citizens, leaving many without the critical medications they needed to survive, and killing them. This isn’t just negligence—it’s a system designed to prioritize profits over human lives.
Why Are People Laughing At A Killing?
In response to the killing of their CEO, UnitedHealth posted the below message on Facebook. Shortly after posting, they closed the comments section. Pay close attention to the makeup of the 42,000 reactions to the bottom left of their post.
Of the 42,000+ reactions, 37,000 of them—nearly 90%—are people laughing in the face of UnitedHealth Group. Why?
I do not believe people are naturally cynical or evil minded. I do believe people see the horrible hypocrisy in lamenting the preventable death of one CEO worth tens of millions of dollars, while ignoring the annual preventable deaths of 70,000 Americans who are not worth tens of millions of dollars. Those upset about the 37,000 people laughing can either feel offended and (wrongly) assume 90% of Americans are evil, or they can reflect and realize the cruelty of the for-profit healthcare system is a daily torture for hundreds of millions of Americans—and people are tired of it. They are tired of an exploitative system that asks barbaric questions like, “Is curing patients a sustainable business model?”
The corporate for profit grip on our healthcare system has pushed millions into financial ruin—with estimates of 500,000 annual medical bankruptcies. That financial ruin comes not just from major illnesses, but even from every day medications. For example, insulin, a life-saving medication that costs about $70 a year to produce, now costs $18,000 annually for many Americans. This is not inflation—it is exploitation—especially given that the scientists who discovered insulin sold its patent for $1 to ensure it would remain accessible to everyone.
Let’s Conclude With An Answer
It does not have to be this way. Countries around the world have proven that universal healthcare is possible and effective. They prioritize human dignity over corporate profits, while Americans are forced to fund a healthcare racket that leaves us sicker, poorer, and desperate. In fact, every single developed nation on Earth guarantees healthcare to its residents—except the United States.
A universal healthcare model would not only save thousands of precious lives, it would cost us $450 billion less annually. Yet, this violence against human life, perpetrated by corporate greed, doesn’t spark the outrage it deserves
