Progressive congressperson Ro Khanna has sympathy for murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson – but on the identical time isn’t shocked that the killing reignited a nationwide dialogue about inequities within the US healthcare system, he mentioned in an interview Sunday.
“It was horrific,” the California Democrat mentioned on ABC This Week with respect to the slaying of Thompson, whose survivors embrace his widow and two sons ages 16 and 19. “I imply, this can be a father we’re speaking about – of two youngsters, and … there isn’t any justification for violence.
“However the outpouring afterwards has not shocked me.”
Khanna instructed the present’s host, Martha Raddatz, that he agreed with fellow liberal and US senator Bernie Sanders when he wrote just lately on social media: “We waste lots of of billions a yr on well being care administrative bills that make insurance coverage CEOs and rich stockholders extremely wealthy whereas 85 million Individuals go uninsured or underinsured. Well being care is a human proper. We’d like Medicare for all.”
“After years, Sanders is successful this debate,” Khanna mentioned, referring to the Vermont senator’s assist for a single-payer nationwide medical insurance system seen in different rich democracies.
Whereas police have stopped wanting providing a attainable motive behind Thompson’s 4 December capturing dying, the obvious focused nature of the assault – in addition to shell casings discovered on the scene of the killing displaying the phrases “delay”, “deny” and presumably “depose” have prompt it was perhaps linked to the largely privatized US healthcare business’s routine denial of funds to many Individuals.
Healthcare debt has emerged as a number one reason behind chapter within the US whereas for-profit well being insurers equivalent to UnitedHealthcare are among the many nation’s richest firms. Thompson, 50, who lived close to UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnesota, commanded a wage of $10m yearly earlier than a gunman carrying a masks shot him useless outdoors a resort in Manhattan as he ready to attend a gathering with traders of his firm.
Many greeted information of Thompson’s dying not with sympathy however with mockery. A broadly shared instance of the sentiment was a social media submit from Columbia College of Social Work’s Anthony Zenkus, which learn: “Right this moment, we mourn the dying of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down…. wait, I’m sorry – at this time we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Individuals who die needlessly annually in order that insurance coverage firm execs like Brian Thompson can turn out to be multimillionaires.”
Khanna on Sunday mentioned his standing as a member of the US Home has not immunized him from absurd insurance coverage battles.
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Although he acknowledged it paled compared to folks with most cancers, coronary heart illness and diabetes being denied protection whereas they battle for his or her lives, Khanna mentioned: “I, as a congressperson had UnitedHealthcare deny a prescription for a nasal – a $100 pump spray, and I couldn’t get them to reverse this. So think about what atypical persons are coping with.”
Khanna mentioned some modest steps that the US may take to start addressing healthcare inequities within the nation is to cap out-of-pocket prices whereas additionally requiring the non-public insurers relied on by many Individuals “to cowl something” that Medicare would.
Medicare is the general public US medical insurance program for these older than 65 and people who find themselves disabled.
“Now we have to know folks with most cancers, with coronary heart illness, with diabetes, with insurance coverage aren’t getting the care that they want. They’re getting caught with large medical payments.”
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