CEO of UHG Shot and Killed in NYC - WTF is wrong with you New York

[RDCanecutter 26853]

4 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

Oh you mean US buses for Mexicans. I was talking about Mexican buses in Mexico, which are comparable to the Vonlane experience

Yeah, the ones that stop at tiendas mexicanas and such that you won't know about unless you speak Spanish and ask around.

Down in Mexico the buses are a blast. Bus stations like little airports, food inside plus joints where the taxi drivers eat nearby. I've done every type except for the back of the pickup truck with rails welded around the bed. Though come to think of it I did get a ride home in the back of a private pickup one night in Colima when I decided to outdrink 4 Mexican teachers.

2nd class bus seemed tedious at the time, but looking back I've got more memories of that one jaunt that the rest combined, people selling aguas frescas through the windows, taking my 11-year-old son for a piss-break inside a cantina. "Piss in the trench, son."

ETN luxury buses with stewardesses handing out drinks and sandwiches, the upper-middle class riding safe from kidnapping because you know ETN pays their bribes on time.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8963]

Wonder if this guy bussed to a nearby major city-Boston, DC, Philly and caught an international flight across the world that morning.

[RDCanecutter 26853]

14 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

Thank the high heavens for these heroes protecting you from "unnecessary care."

My Doctors are savvy and make things happen. On Wednesday in the infusion lab, I heard a nurse tell a dude they had a saline fluid shortage so unfortunately he couldn't have any. I looked up from my IV to this big bag hanging up there pumping saline into me. It'll all get worked out.

[High Plains Drifter 11161]

18 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

 

Thank the high heavens for these heroes protecting you from "unnecessary care."

 

this guy just made the list

 

 

[Hate 20232]

10 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Yeah, the ones that stop at tiendas mexicanas and such that you won't know about unless you speak Spanish and ask around.

Down in Mexico the buses are a blast. Bus stations like little airports, food inside plus joints where the taxi drivers eat nearby. I've done every type except for the back of the pickup truck with rails welded around the bed. Though come to think of it I did get a ride home in the back of a private pickup one night in Colima when I decided to outdrink 4 Mexican teachers.

2nd class bus seemed tedious at the time, but looking back I've got more memories of that one jaunt that the rest combined, people selling aguas frescas through the windows, taking my 11-year-old son for a piss-break inside a cantina. "Piss in the trench, son."

ETN luxury buses with stewardesses handing out drinks and sandwiches, the upper-middle class riding safe from kidnapping because you know ETN pays their bribes on time.

That bus from Guadalajara to Tecoman is fun.

[RDCanecutter 26853]

17 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Not the turimex I would take from Irving to Monterey once a month. Fun times at the border jumping off and grabbing a whole pizza and seeing the bus had moved 8ft in 2 hours

More like the noturimex amiright amiright?

[RDCanecutter 26853]

4 minutes ago, Hate said:

That bus from Guadalajara to Tecoman is fun.

I usually luxurated from Guadalajara to Colima in something like an ETN. One time waiting for the bus some taxi driver offered to Gringo Discount me a $100 USD taxi lift for the hour + ride. I kinda had a maniacal laugh at that. Then they asked if I was Russian.

In Colima I took the Rojos to Tecoman. They got good tuna meatballs at the Rojos restaurant. In Tecoman I attempted to save my soul by donating 50 pesos to rebuild the earthquake-ruined cathedral. That brick over there is probably mine. Then I'd go loll on the balcony of the Rana Rosa, little Boho hangout with food and clothes run by a guy who used to either sing or act in Mexico City.

Then you jump the little Scooby Van buses with slippery plastic seats down to Boca de Pascuales.

[elfenix 34658]

[J.R. Juniors Junior Jr. 1108]

59 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

 

Thank the high heavens for these heroes protecting you from "unnecessary care."

He got next.

[InkaUtexas 26800]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

I have decided I will step up and take the vacant UHC CEO job. But only if I get the first year's salary upfront. That will help me avoid financial complications after I deliberately steer the company directly into icebergs. I'm talking going after it like a crackhead chimp with bolt cutters who thinks they hid a banana inside a Cray computer. Mayhem, cry havoc, and loose the dogs out from under the porch.

You sir will need a bilingual translator who understands security, chimps and shakespeare. I accept the job. My resume is in the inbox and happy to be that Chief of Staff for 10% the current CEO salary.

[RDCanecutter 26853]

4 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

You sir will need a bilingual translator who understands security, chimps and shakespeare. I accept the job. My resume is in the inbox and happy to be that Chief of Staff for 10% the current CEO salary.

You're hired. Now let's throw all the uncomfortable chairs out the window.

[Stilicho 1422]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

 

Thank the high heavens for these heroes protecting you from "unnecessary care."

Getting harder to discern the line between malice and ignorance with these types. 

[InkaUtexas 26800]

Just now, RDCanecutter said:

You're hired. Now let's throw all the uncomfortable chairs out the window.

Boss, i am an ideas guy. Lets win back public support. We can donate them to airport and hospital waiting lounges.

[RDCanecutter 26853]

5 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Boss, i am an ideas guy. Lets win back public support. We can donate them to airport and hospital waiting lounges.

Understood, good idea. But we still need something to drop on the smoke break area.

[Steel Shank 9533]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

I have it on good authority that the buses that originate in the US (especially Greyhound buses) and cross the border are vastly less comfortable than if you hop off, walk across the border, and spring for a luxury bus line in Mexico (which still comes out cheaper than remaining on the piece of shit that got you to the border)

aight

[NorthLoop 14421]

Just wait until this story merges with the Kobayashi chick story. 

[InkaUtexas 26800]

24 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Understood, good idea. But we still need something to drop on the smoke break area.

I got it, there are some fax machines down in the claim filing center. Fucking never worked. Me and two friends were going to go destroy one with a baseball bat, but that would work for your idea boss.

[Parliament 14559]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

 

Thank the high heavens for these heroes protecting you from "unnecessary care."

That's kinda tone deaf.  Don't they have some kinda "brand consultant" on staff to tell the bosses not to say crap like that?

[Hate 20232]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

I usually luxurated from Guadalajara to Colima in something like an ETN. One time waiting for the bus some taxi driver offered to Gringo Discount me a $100 USD taxi lift for the hour + ride. I kinda had a maniacal laugh at that. Then they asked if I was Russian.

In Colima I took the Rojos to Tecoman. They got good tuna meatballs at the Rojos restaurant. In Tecoman I attempted to save my soul by donating 50 pesos to rebuild the earthquake-ruined cathedral. That brick over there is probably mine. Then I'd go loll on the balcony of the Rana Rosa, little Boho hangout with food and clothes run by a guy who used to either sing or act in Mexico City.

Then you jump the little Scooby Van buses with slippery plastic seats down to Boca de Pascuales.

We always just took a cab to Pescuales. The hard part was getting one back to Tecoman. Those tacos al pastor outside of Hotel Suoer Tecoman always hit right!

[MissingInAction 25478]

3 hours ago, Incredulity said:

Has Peter Ennis confirmed.

 

we dont want to run off half cocked

There's a Peter in all of us 

[royiv 9687]

17 minutes ago, Parliament said:

That's kinda tone deaf.  Don't they have some kinda "brand consultant" on staff to tell the bosses not to say crap like that?

Their comms consultant dropped the ball on that one.

[twosheds 378]

That Penis guy says they already caught him, are you suggesting we can’t trust Mr Penis? 

I don’t even trust my penis. He’s a real dick.

[InkaUtexas 26800]

1 hour ago, royiv said:

Their comms consultant dropped the ball on that one.

Was a DEI hire. Had to go to allow for more $$$ for C-Suite bonus.

[F250 29175]

On 12/5/2024 at 8:59 PM, elfenix said:

Average new workers today

That's the kid from Slaute My Shorts.

[F250 29175]

8 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

My son and a buddy stayed at one in Amsterdam, because they were on the cheap.

Got shitfaced.  Ate late night McDonalds.  He ended up hopping up in the middle of the night and repeatedly, and loudly, destroying the single shitter, which was right outside the sleeping room.

The story made us all laugh.  He was not as amused.

Worst European hostel story ever.

[DixonHur 11941]

This is the first time I can remember actively rooting for the murderer.

He's my Guy Fawkes 

[MissingInAction 25478]

[tx 3 putt 78470]

On 12/5/2024 at 6:49 PM, Ted Lange said:

Undefeated 

 

 

jacket and backpack don’t match to the shooter ?

[InkaUtexas 26800]

yeah, no one has ever changed their clothes or owns two backpacks.

[Prepuce of Doom 21260]

6 hours ago, Deej said:

Went to high school with a Paul Enos. 

[tx 3 putt 78470]

39 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

yeah, no one has ever changed their clothes or owns two backpacks.

 

id expect a killer to travel light, just a backpack. no room for an extra coat and backpack. get up and go, get the fuck out asap

[InkaUtexas 26800]

Just now, tx 3 putt said:

 

id expect a killer to travel light, just a backpack. no room for an extra coat and backpack. get up and go, get the fuck out asap

Drop it somewhere before hand, change, etc. Come on, this is not hard to do. Guess we are just used to dumb criminals like the dude in SA who murdered his wife and went to drop her body off at the dump AFTER asking for directions.

[Beau Vine 55824]

Quote

It started barely minutes after the horrifying news broke that the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan. Even before any details were available, the internet was awash in speculation that the company had refused to cover the alleged killer’s medical bills — and in debates about whether murder would be a reasonable response.

Soon there was a video of a man in a hoodie, face not visible, walking up behind Thompson and shooting him multiple times, ignoring a woman standing nearby before walking away. Could he be a hit man?

Then came the reports that bullet casings bearing the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were found at the scene. “Delay” and “deny” clearly echo tactics insurers use to avoid paying claims. “Depose”? Well, that’s the sudden, forceful removal from a high position. Ah.

After that, it was an avalanche.

The shooter was compared to John Q, the desperate fictional father who takes an entire emergency room hostage after a health insurance company refuses to cover his son’s lifesaving transplant in a 2002 film of the same name. Some posted “prior authorization needed before thoughts and prayers.” Others wryly pointed out that the reward for information connected to the murder, $10,000, was less than their annual deductibles. One observer recommended that Thompson should be scheduled to see a specialist in a few months, maybe.

Many others went further. They urged people with information about the killing not to share it with the authorities. Names and photos of other health insurance executives floated around. Some of the posts that went most viral, racking up millions of views by celebrating the killing, I can’t repeat here.

It’s true that any news with shock value would get some of this response online — after all, trolling, engagement bait and performative provocation are part of everyday life on digital platforms.

But this was something different. The rage that people felt at the health insurance industry, and the elation that they expressed at seeing it injured, was shocking. It was also widespread and organic. It crossed communities all along the political spectrum and took hold in countless divergent cultural clusters.

Even on Facebook, a platform where people do not commonly hide behind pseudonyms, the somber announcement by UnitedHealth Group that it was “deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague” was met with, as of this writing, 80,000 reactions; 75,000 of them were the “haha” emoji.

Politicians offering boilerplate condolences were eviscerated. Some responses came in the form of personal testimony. I don’t condone murder, many started, before describing harrowing ordeals that health insurance companies had put them through.

On a prominent Reddit forum for medical professionals, one of the most upvoted comments was a parody rejection letter: After “a careful review of the claim submitted for emergency services on December 4, 2024,” it read, a claim was denied because “you failed to obtain prior authorization before seeking care for the gunshot wound to your chest.” Just a few days earlier, the forum had been a place where people debated the side effects of Flomax and the best medical conferences.

I’ve been studying social media for a long time, and I can’t think of any other incident when a murder in this country has been so openly celebrated.

The conditions that gave rise to this outpouring of anger are in some ways specific to this moment. Today’s business culture enshrines the maximization of executive wealth and shareholder fortunes, and has succeeded in leveraging personal riches into untold political influence. New communication platforms allow millions of strangers around the world to converse in real time.

But on a deeper level, the currents we are seeing are expressions of something more fundamental. We’ve been here before. And it wasn’t pretty.

The Gilded Age, the tumultuous period between roughly 1870 and 1900, was also a time of rapid technological change, of mass immigration, of spectacular wealth and enormous inequality. The era got its name from a Mark Twain novel: gilded, rather than golden, to signify a thin, shiny surface layer. Below it lay the corruption and greed that engulfed the country after the Civil War.

The era survives in the public imagination through still resonant names, including J.P. Morgan, John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt; through their mansions, which now greet awestruck tourists; and through TV shows with extravagant interiors and lavish gowns. Less well remembered is the brutality that underlay that wealth — the tens of thousands of workers, by some calculations, who lost their lives to industrial accidents, or the bloody repercussions they met when they tried to organize for better working conditions.

Also less well remembered is the intensity of political violence that erupted. The vast inequities of the era fueled political movements that targeted corporate titans, politicians, judges and others for violence. In 1892, an anarchist tried to assassinate industrialist Henry Clay Frick after a drawn-out conflict between Pinkerton security guards and workers. In 1901, an anarchist sympathizer assassinated President William McKinley. And so on.

As historian Jon Grinspan wrote about the years between 1865 and 1915, “the nation experienced one impeachment, two presidential elections ‘won’ by the loser of the popular vote and three presidential assassinations.” And neither political party, he added, seemed “capable of tackling the systemic issues disrupting Americans’ lives.” No, not an identical situation, but the description does resonate with how a great many people feel about the direction of the country today.

It’s not hard to see how, during the Gilded Age, armed political resistance could find many eager recruits and even more numerous sympathetic observers. And it’s not hard to imagine how the United States could enter another such cycle.

A recent Reuters investigation identified at least 300 cases of political violence since the 2021 assault on the Capitol, which it described as “the biggest and most sustained increase in U.S. political violence since the 1970s.” A 2023 poll showed that the number of Americans who agree with the statement “American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save the country” was ticking up alarmingly.

And the fraying of the social contract is getting worse. Americans express less and less trust in many institutions. Substantial majorities of people say that government, business leaders and the media are purposefully misleading them. In striking contrast to older generations, majorities of younger people say they do not believe that “the American dream” is achievable anymore. The health insurance industry likes to cite polls that show overall satisfaction, but those numbers go down when people get sick and learn what their insurer is and is not willing to do for them.

Things are much better now than in the 19th century. But there is a similarity to the trajectory and the mood, to the expression of deep powerlessness and alienation.

 
Now, however, the country is awash in powerful guns. And some of the new technologies that will be deployed to help preserve order can cut both ways. Thompson’s killer apparently knew exactly where to find his target and at exactly what time. No evidence has emerged that he had access to digital tracking data, but that information is out there on the market. How long before easily built artificial-intelligence-powered drones equipped with facial recognition cameras, rather than hooded men with backpacks, seek targets in cities and towns?

The turbulence and violence of the Gilded Age eventually gave way to comprehensive social reform. The nation built a social safety net, expanded public education and erected regulations and infrastructure that greatly improved the health and well-being of all Americans.

Those reforms weren’t perfect, and they weren’t the only reason the violence eventually receded (though never entirely disappeared), but they moved us forward.

The concentration of extreme wealth in the United States has recently surpassed that of the Gilded Age. And the will among politicians to push for broad public solutions appears to have all but vanished. I fear that instead of an era of reform, the response to this act of violence, and to the widespread rage it has ushered into view, will be limited to another round of retreat by the wealthiest. Corporate executives are already reportedly beefing up their security. I expect more of them to move to gated communities, entrenched beyond even higher walls, protected by people with even bigger guns. Calls for a higher degree of public surveillance, or for integrating facial recognition algorithms into policing, may well follow. Almost certainly, armed security entourages and private jets will become an even more common element of executive compensation packages, further removing routine contact between the extremely wealthy and the rest of us, except when employed to serve them.

We still don’t know who killed Brian Thompson or what his motive was. Whatever facts eventually emerge, the anger it has laid bare will still be real, and what we glimpsed should ring all the alarm bells.

Zeynep Tufekci, a New York Times Opinion columnist, covers the Internet, technology, politics and society. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

 

[locodos 5583]

5 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

You're hired. Now let's throw all the uncomfortable chairs out the window.

Russian confirmed

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4998]

A missed opportunity to use the word defenestrate at the least. I'm disappointed in Mr Canecutter. 

[Keef 852]

On 12/6/2024 at 12:25 AM, chainsaw said:

can non-doctors own a medical practice?

As mentioned, it depends on the state, but even where it is technically prohibited, PE firms can work around it by structuring a "management services" company that doesn't own the practice but has contractual rights to do pretty much everything.  The "owner" of the practice is a PE installed doctor(s) who they can fire at any time.

[wong 26]

20 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Gotta laugh at a bunch of upper class internet posters giving this post rep.

If the hordes of broke 23 year olds on reddit decide to revolt, you guys would probably be the target. 
 

 

[Iceman 2956]

8 minutes ago, wong said:

Gotta laugh at a bunch of upper class internet posters giving this post rep.

If the hordes of broke 23 year olds on reddit decide to revolt, you guys would probably be the target. 
 

 

Nah.  It'd be the door at the top of the stairs.

[Sawbonz 28081]

5 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

horrifying news

[Pescado_Rojo 19558]

11 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

I got it, there are some fax machines down in the claim filing center. Fucking never worked. Me and two friends were going to go destroy one with a baseball bat, but that would work for your idea boss.

I'll bring the baseball bats and maybe some Billy's boudin. Copier smashing gives me an appetite. 

[RDCanecutter 26853]

1 hour ago, wong said:

Gotta laugh at a bunch of upper class internet posters giving this post rep.

If the hordes of broke 23 year olds on reddit decide to revolt, you guys would probably be the target. 
 

 

Unless they're Uruk-Redditors they wouldn't be able to bear up under sunlight.

[Anastasis 23699]

1 hour ago, wong said:

Gotta laugh at a bunch of upper class internet posters lawyers giving this post rep.

If the hordes of broke 23 year olds on reddit decide to revolt, you guys would probably be the target. 

It’s like some of them have never read a list of top 5 most despised professions. 

[Parliament 14559]

Why stay at a hostel at all?  Ride the bus to Jersey in the middle of the night, take the train a midtown or wherever.  Walk to your target.  Cap him (keep your brass).  Walk back to a different station, ride to a different bus stop.  Sleep on bus.  36 hours total.  Tell our family you were traveling for a job interview.  Bam

[WithoutAClue 15992]

[RDCanecutter 26853]

11 hours ago, Hate said:

We always just took a cab to Pescuales. The hard part was getting one back to Tecoman. Those tacos al pastor outside of Hotel Suoer Tecoman always hit right!

I mighta done that on vacation, but working there on not-bad-but-still-Mexican wages I quickly started thinking in pesos. I'd ride taxis between Colima and my burb of Villa de Alvarez where I knew 2 bucks would cover trip and tip, but that was about it. The cleaning lady and I would plot where we could get the cheapest deals on oscillating fans because every peso (worth a dime then) counted. There was one on sale for 30 bucks and afternoons were hot as hell, but I watched the sky and knew the rainy season was near, and never broke down for a fan.

Still got that 300 pesos, weyyyy.

[AUS-97HORN 11991]

20 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Why stay at a hostel at all?  Ride the bus to Jersey in the middle of the night, take the train a midtown or wherever.  Walk to your target.  Cap him (keep your brass).  Walk back to a different station, ride to a different bus stop.  Sleep on bus.  36 hours total.  Tell our family you were traveling for a job interview.  Bam

I have no idea if this has been mentioned already on this thread, I would guess so...

 

but for those who dont know... the brass being left wasnt an accident, they were clearly a message, those shells had engraved words on them that seemed to relate to a 2010 book about how the insurance agency fucks all of us

[Anastasis 23699]

30 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I have no idea if this has been mentioned already on this thread, I would guess so...

 

but for those who dont know... the brass being left wasnt an accident, they were clearly a message, those shells had engraved words on them that seemed to relate to a 2010 book about how the insurance agency fucks all of us

That book would appear to spend a lot of time talking about homeowners and auto insurance. I guess they are next. 

The brass being left at this scene feels very diversionary to me. Who the fuck writes the name of a book on their bullets. I bet whoever the author is though they are cha-chinging to a merry christmas. 

[Brisketexan 106618]

Gotta laugh at a bunch of upper class internet posters giving this post rep.
If the hordes of broke 23 year olds on reddit decide to revolt, you guys would probably be the target. 
 
 

You’re not wrong. I’m among them (both the well off and the lawyer class). It’s why a shitload of us have consistently and loudly called for and supported reform and massive social shifts. As have quite a few members of the billionaire class.
We see that we have done well, and could continue to do well, in a society with a functioning social contract. AND, we see that we all do well when everyone does well, or at least well enough (nobody is naive enough to pretend that we can have a system where nobody is poor and nobody is rich).
Some of the people ringing the alarm bells the loudest are indeed the people who may well find themselves in the crosshairs if it all goes to shit. Our thoughts as we see this happening are “no shit, we told you this would happen, what did you expect?” That’s not a happy thought. We don’t want this outcome. We’d much prefer a society where people didn’t feel like murdering CEO’s is a good thing, and a world where a CEO doesn’t make $10 million for shit like that. Maybe have a conscience, and be happy with the fabulous compensation of $1 million, or even less.
Are we cheering the development of “society has reached this point?” Hell no. Are we nodding along as we watch, with a “no shit, we told you so?” 100%

[Ted Lange 16353]

 

[chainsaw 10244]

4 hours ago, Keef said:

As mentioned, it depends on the state, but even where it is technically prohibited, PE firms can work around it by structuring a "management services" company that doesn't own the practice but has contractual rights to do pretty much everything.  The "owner" of the practice is a PE installed doctor(s) who they can fire at any time.

Interesting stuff. Where do you find this info