The Assassination of a Healthcare Titan, or: “The Point of View of the Appearance of Conflict”
On the shocking murder of Brian Thompson, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield showing their whole ass, and Jeff Bezos’ weird word salad about... something?
Take a look at this headline for a second.
“Jeff Bezos Says He’s A Terrible Owner For Washington Post From “Point Of View Of The Appearance Of Conflict” Of Interest.”
Contrary to what you might think, Deadline reporter Jill Goldsmith didn’t just let a cat on the keyboard while she clapped her hands and hit Post. This is an exact quote from an article where Jeff Bezos waxes philosophical on why he believes it was the right choice for The Washington Post to not endorse a candidate for the 2024 Presidential Election.
“Some called it cowardice to avoid offending Donald Trump given the billionaire’s various business interests,” Goldsmith writes. “Bezos insisted it was “far from cowardly because we knew there would be blowback and we did the right thing anyway.””
He follows this up by claiming that the media “is suffering from a crisis of trust,” but acknowledges that he is, and I quote, “a terrible owner for the Post from the point of view of the appearance of conflict” because every single day, an executive from one of his many companies is meeting with government officials daily.
So… have you ever heard of the sentence "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo?” As much as it seems like Jill Goldsmith’s cat has somehow found a portal into MY dimension and is now demanding the type of chicken she craves, this. Is. A. Grammatically. Sound. Sentence.
William J. Rapaport from the CSE University at Buffalo puts it best:
“So, buffalo who live in Buffalo (e.g., at the Buffalo Zoo, which does, indeed, have buffalo), and who are buffaloed (in a way unique to Buffalo) by other buffalo from Buffalo, themselves buffalo (in the way unique to Buffalo) still other buffalo from Buffalo.”
In short, it’s an incredibly convoluted way to say that New Yorker Buffalos have been intimidated by OTHER New Yorker buffalos - while also being intimidating to other New Yorker buffalos.
That’s how Jeff Bezos’ word vomit appears to me, because it would be a whole helluva lot more simple to just say “I’m a billionaire who pals around with global titans and I shouldn’t represent myself as a bastion of a free and fair press.” I’ve got a lot to say about billionaires, and the way they’re damaging democracy, but I’ve got bigger fish to fry. But if you WANT to hear me speak about that topic, as a sidenote, there should be a brand new video up on my YouTube channel today that spends TENS of minutes explaining the… let’s call it “controversial” ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.
Edit: that video is live now and you can watch it below!!!
But if we really want to talk about “a terrible owner from the point of view of the appearance of conflict of interest,” we really should be talking about the recent actions by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield - who announced in an “unprecedented move” that any healthcare plans in the states of Connecticut, New York and Missouri will no longer cover anesthesia care if any procedure or surgery passes a certain amount of time.
As The American Society of Anesthesiologists puts it,
“Payment for anesthesia services is based on several factors, including the exact amount of time for anesthesiologists to deliver care preoperatively, during the operation, and when transitioning the patient to the recovery unit afterwards. With this new policy, Anthem will arbitrarily pre-determine the time allowed for anesthesia care during a surgery or procedure. If an anesthesiologist submits a bill where the actual time of care is longer than Anthem's limit, Anthem will deny payment for the anesthesiologist’s care. With this new policy, Anthem will not pay anesthesiologists for delivering safe and effective anesthesia care to patients who may need extra attention because their surgery is difficult, unusual or because a complication arises.”
Much like American health insurance itself, figuring out WHAT Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is exactly can seem a bit labyrinthine. But I’ll try to make it simple for you: ABCBS (what an acronym lol) is a subsidiary of Elevance Health, Inc., itself a part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a “federation” of multiple healthcare providers across the country led by a woman named Kim Keck. For the sake of this writing, let’s focus specifically on Elevance Health, Inc., since they’re at the forefront of this story.
Formerly known as Anthem, Elevance is the largest for-profit health insurer in the federation, with Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO of Elevance, claiming on a quarterly earnings call back in 2022 that they had “medical membership of 7.5% year over year to 46.8 million members, widening Anthem's lead as the largest insurer by U.S. medical membership.”
Under Gail Boudreaux’s leadership, which began in 2017, Elevance (then known as Anthem) has been forced to pay nearly $3 million due to allegations that it “was failing to identify, process or resolve consumer complaints…” and has faced allegations, FROM THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, of Medicare fraud.
Yet Elevance Health reported an even bigger increase in income in June 2024, according to the ASA: “24.12% increase in its year-over-year net income to $2.3 billion and a 24.29% increase in its year-over-year net profit margin.”
So the truth is: business has never been better for Elevance Health! As the “largest insurer by U.S. medical membership,” there’s absolutely no reason for a company that ranked 78 on the Forbes Global 2000, valued at 110 BILLION dollars, to take cost cutting measures to something like ANESTHESIA.
And yet this is something Gail Koziara Boudreaux and Elevance Health think is necessary. Fox61 out of Connecticut, who have a storied history with Elevance and even helped stop ABCBS from enacting a rate cut that would have negatively impacted special needs children, asked them for an interview. Elevance declined. However, they did send a statement that read, “...we identified additional ways to safeguard against potential anesthesia provider overbilling.”
I feel like it shouldn’t be a hot take to say that claiming you’re trying to avoid people from being over-billed by, well, NOT PROVIDING THEM SERVICE AT ALL… that’s a lot like cutting off somebody’s foot and telling them it’s so they won’t stub their toe. And to be clear, you’ll likely receive anesthesia for your treatment. It’s just that you would walk away hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in the hole, because Elevance Health decided to “safeguard” you from being overbilled.
Fancy how that works.
Fun fact about Gail Boudreaux: she wasn’t always the CEO for Elevance Health. That’s a relatively recent development in the grand scheme of things. But you know what company she acted as CEO for before that?
I’m sure the main reason you clicked into this article is because of the timeliness of the name UnitedHealthcare, and the shocking news that UHC CEO Brian Thompson was assassinated in broad daylight. In case this is somehow the first you’ve heard of it, The Daily Beast’s Ben Sherwood has a comprehensive collection of everything we know as of Wednesday, December 4.
“The killer struck on one of the busiest streets in New York City before the morning rush hour,” Sherwood writes. “At close range, he fired into the back of his target, the CEO of the largest health insurance company in the world. Then he cleared a jam in the weapon and fired more rounds before escaping on an E-bike. Who is the cyclist assassin now on the run? An aggrieved health insurance policy holder or a cold-blooded hit man? Or will some other profile and motive be revealed?”
My take on this… it doesn’t actually matter what the killer’s motive is. What matters is what Thompson’s death inspired in US.
First: as the New York Times puts it, Thompson had a wife and two kids, and was the model of the stereotypical American dream. His origins as a small town Iowa boy, the son of a grain elevator operator who worked so hard he became the CEO of a company that has a market cap of $610 billion, ranked #8 on Fortune’s Global 500 list? And according to his friends… he remained “open and approachable.” You couldn’t write a more cliched “rags to riches” narrative if you tried, but this wasn’t fiction: it was his life - and now it’s not.
What’s interesting is that nobody in the general populace seems to give a shit at all. Many journalists and digital creators have pointed out already that all you need to do is dive into the comments section of any post about Thompson’s execution and you’ll see all you need to see in regards to where the public’s head is at. My comments section is no exception.
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“Thoughts and co-pays,” said Kelly on my TikTok. “Thoughts and prior authorization,” wrote _b.radical_. “My sympathy is outta network,” wrote sweettea&12wings.
But further down, some of my commenters wrote things that might key you in to why people are making some pretty dark jokes about a murder:
Rocketmango wrote, “UHC denied my labs claim today. It’s $997. I can’t afford this on top of the $1025/month that I’m paying for just me.” Judy Tekulve said, “during his last few months alive, my husband's UH medications were $1,000 a month AFTER insurance.” And Sue Braun states, “and yet I am among the people who was left in debt after my hubby died.”
Look, y’all. These are some of the most truly heartbreaking comments I’ve ever received on any of the content I’ve posted on TikTok. There are dozens upon dozens of comments like these wedged in between the truly dark jokes at the expense of Brian Thompson. People are angry at the broken healthcare system in America, and there is a massive valley between the accessibility and affordability of medical treatment of any kind and the sort of money that ends up in the pockets of these companies.
Even with insurance, Judy Tekulve claimed in my comments that her husband’s medication was $1,000 monthly. UHC’s Q3 revenues in 2024 were over 100 BILLION dollars.
We can mourn a family’s loss, while understanding that this is the kind of event that truly exposes the national mood for what it is. When a system is so deeply broken that healthcare costs more than you make, or anesthesia won’t even be covered because of an arbitrary time limit restriction, or the healthcare of special needs children is at risk simply because of a company’s bottom line… people are going to be angry. People are going to say terrible things about somebody who embodies a terrible system.
“I’m afraid that we – some of you may know we’re dealing with very serious medical situation with one of our team members,” Chief Executive Officer Andrew Witty said during the investor day, according to a transcript grabbed by CNBC. “And as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today, which I’m sure you’ll understand.” Meaning they still went ahead with the meeting… even if only for a moment.
Like I said over on Threads, Thompson brought in $30 billion in profits THIS YEAR.. and the investors quite *literally* stepped over a bloodstained sidewalk to start their meeting on time - a ghoulish celebration of denying claims in favor of profits.I hope the Thompson family eventually finds peace, but I also hope that this point in time can serve as a moment of reflection for the titans of industry.
Because this isn’t about “the point of view of the appearance of conflict of interest” anymore.
This is “the point of view of conflict.”
Your’s is the most careful dissection of this event that I’ve read. Both broad and focused your examples really made me think about how this is event is interwoven in the mood of America at present. I’m now a paid subscriber. Keep writing great analysis!
I’m probably going to upgrade. I respect many of your views on these issues. Thank you.
As to this particular incident; I too, am a little taken aback by some of the rather direct comments on this murder. There are some who are calling the shooter a modern day hero, that the victim deserved what happened. Indeed, a less than helpful statement from Elon Musk seeking to justify the exorbitant wealth raked in by CEOs, citing that “it’s up to the CEO to generate wealth for the shareholders”. Talk about tone deaf.
It is also very important to note that the majority of Americans are never more than one serious illness away from complete financial ruin. As a now retired FDNY EMS officer, who was forced out of my job early as a result of recurring cardiomyopathy, I can tell you that it was a very near run thing to not file for bankruptcy. And that’s with health insurance. The games the company plays are frustrating and would try the patience of a virtual Saint. It shouldn’t be this way.
I’ve spent the entirety of my life in service, starting at age 13 volunteering for the local ambulance service, then joining the Coast Guard, finally joining NYC EMS, now the FDNY EMS. It shouldn’t be this hard to be able to get treatment for a medical condition. Health Care shouldn’t be a money-making scheme for third-party middlemen who will not hand out an aspirin or a bedpan.
No one says the front line healthcare providers: Doctors and nurses and allied healthcare professionals shouldn’t make an appropriate wage. However do we really need a wealth generating subset of people who don’t actually contribute to the health care system.
This incident really needs to be viewed through the lens of history. Every popular revolt by the people in history was triggered when the people reached the point that they could no longer accept subjugation by an elite group who only harmed the people. I don’t believe we are at that tipping point. But it is definitely approaching.