Mangione is certainly a handsome young man. He has also been quite clear about issues involving UHC and medical care over his back surgery. There is an x-ray showing his lower back. I have seen roofs that had fewer screws in them. According to some of his friends, he is in constant pain. If you look at the actual political views he expressed he is, like many Americans neither all on one side nor the other in the current split. He praises AOC, Reich, and Noah but likes Rogan and at least one other right-wing wanker. He did discuss some quotes from the Unibomber on his Goodreads page but also said that Kaczynski deserves to be in jail for what he did. Depending on who is speaking, the right and the left are both attacking this guy. I was a practicing lawyer for over 40 years. I believe in the rule of law not the mob or the vigilante. What he did was wrong. If what his friends and family are saying is true, some mental health issues have arisen with him as a result of his constant pain. He needs to receive a fair trial and if convicted, which seems likely based on what I have seen, he needs to be punished. It is a tragedy to see someone's life, once so promising, turned into shit.
As for Thompson, he did not deserve to be murdered, no one does. But I will shed no tears for him now that he is dead. Thompson took over the Insurance division at UHC, including the pre-approval system. He instituted an AI-based system for reviewing claims. He started in 2021 and by early 2023, denials for care had more than doubled from 10.9 to 22.7. He also jacked profits up to the highest that division had ever seen. He received a huge bonus for that. One of the areas UHC was being investigated concerning, was the massive increase in denials for post-acute care for seniors and others suffering falls, strokes, or other medical events that require physical and speech therapy among other therapy once the acute event has passed. In other words, if like me in 2013, you had a minor cerebral "incident" and needed speech therapy for six months, UHC might well have not approved it, stating that given your general health, pre and post-event, you would not benefit from the therapy. It is worth noting that denials can be appealed but 96% of people do not do so. However, those that do appeal, at least with UHC, have been successful in close to 90% of the appeals.
Like some others here, I use UHC for my medical insurance. I have a Supplemental Plan and a Part D plan from them. I have never had any serious issues with them but I have traditional Medicare, not an Advantage Plan which means I choose my doctors and I do not need permission from UHC to see a specialist. I do not need pre-approval for any treatment or procedure. However, most regular policies that UHC issues to people not on Medicare are HMOs or PPOs which limit people to approved doctors, hospitals, and specialists and require approval for everything from therapy, surgery, and medications. The same is true for anyone on Medicare who is on an Advantage Plan. and UHC denies approval for service and medications at a rate twice the average rate of all other medical insurance carriers. And, UHC is the big player in that market. It is also a for-profit company and frankly I find that there is an inherent conflict of interest when it comes to medical care. A for-profit company has a primary duty to its shareholders to produce profits. And the only way to produce profits is by cutting back on the services provided to policy holders. Thompson did not create the current absurd health system we have in the US but he was an active and willing participant in creating profits for the company he worked for. He was paid millions every year for his efforts. So, while I did not and would not wish harm on him, I do not weep for him.
to the forum sjhuk85. I love hearing from new voices here. Please be a frequent contributor. Thanks so much for chiming in. 
