Vigilantism can’t achieve what activism can

Opinion

Luigi Mangione is in some circles being celebrated as a modern-day Robin Hood.

The 26-year-old stands accused in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York last week. Following news that Thompson had been gunned down moments before he was to attend a board meeting, social media erupted with postings of unbridled glee. Someone who was the face of an industry known for making despicable decisions that affect people’s lives had been taken out. Justice at long last.

Except, it’s not, of course. It’s not justice in any sense of the word.

There’s little doubt the health-care system in the United States creates unnecessary stress. The No. 1 reason for declaring bankruptcy in the U.S. is health-related debt. According to some studies, nearly one in five U.S. health-care claims is initially rejected by health-care companies.

There are suggestions the logic is the patient won’t exercise their right to initiate an appeal on that claim and the company can then make a profit.

In February, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced it would pay only for anesthesia treatments for the length of time a procedure or surgery is estimated to be needed.

According to CBS News, that estimate is based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s physician work time values. The insurer noted claims for anesthesia “above the established number of minutes will be denied.” It announced a reversal on that policy decision earlier last week.

There are plenty of other horror stories floating around on social media to make tempers rise.

And lest anyone think Canada is somehow exempt from creating financial chaos for patients who are ill, consider a new report from the Canadian Cancer Society that indicates the average Canadian pays $33,000 in lost income and out-of-pocket expenses when diagnosed with cancer. For those who are self-employed or managing on fixed or low incomes, the expense is even harder to manage.

But let’s go back to the Robin Hood status being ordained on Mangione. According to reports, Mangione wrote a manifesto which singled out UnitedHealthcare. It criticized health-care companies for placing profits over care.

“These parasites had it coming,” is what Mangione is alleged to have written.

But what about the 26-year-old’s own privileged status?

Mangione attended a private all-boys private school in Baltimore. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania. His paternal grandparents were real estate developers who also founded Lorien Health Systems and a Baltimore radio station. One of his cousins is a Republican Maryland state legislator.

In other words, Mangione is “the rich” those on social media are screaming we should eat.

Hardly a philosophical ethicist attempting to right the wrongs of those failed by capitalists in the health insurance industry — even though Mangione is attempting to paint himself as such.

There is evidence this alleged Robin Hood was angry because he was unable to get help for his back pain. Apparently, it curtailed his ability to enjoy his surfing vacation home in Honolulu after surgery. Note, this is a far cry from losing your home and your retirement savings due to a health condition. It’s hard to reconcile this history with what others have experienced.

This is really all a diversion, though.

Joshua Zeitz brilliantly writes in Politico “when people lose faith in the state’s ability to address their concerns and grievances, they sometimes look to outlaws who offer themselves as an alternative.”

Health care in the U.S. and increasingly in Canada is concerning. The pandemic and the disproportionate deaths of disabled, seniors and persons of colour reveal the widening gaps for care in this country that will only get worse with an aging population. Capitalism and the need to churn out a profit for a demanding board of directors will remain paramount in both countries.

Things won’t change with spineless assassinations of insurance executives and anonymous trolling on social media.

They will change with political and consumer activism.

» Shannon Sampert is a political scientist and a lecturer at RRC Polytech. She was the politics and perspectives editor at the Winnipeg Free Press from 2014-17. This column previously appeared in the Free Press.