Delay, Deny, Depose

The NYC murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson surfaces theories and underlying hatred for managed healthcare

It seems there are as many theories about the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson as there are stories about bad experiences with managed healthcare. Hell, the as yet unidentified shooter literally wrote “delay”, “deny”, “depose” on three shell casings found at the scene.

That ought to tell you something about a motive for killing Thompson outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where he was going to speak to a gathering of potential investors.

A breakdown from The Guardian

This probably isn’t the result of a love triangle gone sideways. And, in spite of what some might say, this isn’t a video game either. This victim’s family, regardless of how many families Thompson’s company hurt, deserves some compassion and empathy.

This was a message. Sent on the very day the CEO was meeting with investors.

Delay. Deny. Depose.

The shooter was not a pro. If he was, he would have been more efficient. There are books about this sort of thing. This didn’t follow the “Hit Man” playbook.

So, how will cops identify the shooter? Going through correspondence between United and disgruntled customers might be a good first step. Using predictive AI to parse what could be millions of missives, detectives could look for the key phrase or even specific threats. My guess is that they are doing that right now.

Even if they know who the shooter is at this point, they still have to find him. If’s he still alive, maybe we’ll learn the truth. Regardless, you can bet that this will be politicized. “Managed healthcare” is in need of a tuneup and this will be a talking point among the pols in DC on both sides.