Last week, I discussed a major news story out of New York City. A low, cold-blooded coward by the name of Luigi Mangione stands accused of laying in wait to slaughter Brian Thompson, who was the CEO of UnitedHealthCare, a company that provides medical insurance to millions.
Mangione would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for a meddling security camera that caught him in a moment of weakness caused by hormones. He pulled down his cowardly face mask to flirt with, it seems, a girl he found to be cute. If not for that, he might still be in the wind.
Well, thankfully, the scumbag was arrested while he ate a hash brown at a McDonald’s location in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Rather than be grateful that someone accused of such a violent crime has been caught, the internet seems to be upset that he was taken into custody. That’s disturbing.
Users are hopping onto social media platforms, mostly TikTok, to praise Mangione and condemn the person who called 911 to report the alleged murderer. A lot of people have dubbed the caller a “rat.” That, too, is scary. I seem to have stepped into the sewer of humanity.
A lot of people seem to have disdain for UHC and health insurance providers in general. They don’t realize that it’s never personal. Just business. Of course UHC, and all providers, will deny coverage for certain things. It’s called underwriting guidelines. No matter how angry someone is that they didn’t get their way, that does not justify murder.
And what about the caller? Internet vigilantes sought the person out to, presumably, expose that person to ridicule and scorn. And worse yet, maybe even for the purposes of causing that person great bodily harm or even death.
As it turns out, that caller posted a message using the name Nancy Parker. That post was quickly deleted and soon thereafter, her profile was deleted. Her self-identified grandson lashed out at the trolls, and rightfully so.
If Parker is her real name, then, sadly, she is a sitting duck. Self-proclaimed internet detectives will, if they haven’t already, hunt her down and post her address, phone number and whatever else for all to see. And all because she did the right thing!
If Mangione did what he’s accused of, and it’s highly likely that he did it because his fingerprints have been identified as being the same that were on bullets at the scene of the murder, then calling it in was absolutely the proper thing to do. I would be on the phone right away in a New York minute. Having a medical claim denied is not justification for killing anyone. It’s too bad that so many people on the internet feel differently.
It’s sad that she’s being called a “rat.” A crime was broken and justice must be satisfied. Thank goodness for Parker! Thank goodness that she kept a level head and tipped off the police, leaving them to do their jobs.
It seems that, thanks to Parker, Mangione was taken down without incident. In fact, media outlets are reporting that as soon as he saw the police, he began to tremble and shake. Of course he had to be taken into custody. He had a ghost gun on his person. And, it seems, he’s apparently the guy who ended the life of an innocent man.
Look, I get it. The medical insurance industry can be frustrating at times. But that is what it is: an industry. Insurance companies are, well, companies. They are running their business, not running a charity club.
If someone’s medical claim is denied, there is always an appeals process. There are always other ways to attempt to resolve things without putting bullets in a man’s back (which, if true, proves Mangione a coward).
The supposed horror stories floating around the internet after the brutal murder tell tales of denied claims and of people dying for lack of an approved insurance claim. I find that hard to believe. I really don’t think anyone has actually died because of a medical claim was denied.
And even if people did die, those deaths were probably because of their health issues, not due to insurance disputes. And even if people did die while waiting for word on an approval for this or that, their actual condition was likely the cause, not the denial. Therefore, any anger towards insurance companies is, as Spock would say, highly illogical.
Look, as I wrote before, I worked in the industry. I worked in the area where claims were approved or denied. I had to deal with angry providers and even irate insureds. When things went their way, they were happy. But the moment that they didn’t get their way, out came the fangs.
I readily admit that on two occasions, a processor approved a claim, but I caught their error and sent it back, resulting in the claim winding up being denied. I’m proud of that, and I’d happily do it again and again. The bonus that I got for saving the company around $20,000 total was the icing on the cake.
What? Is someone going to double tap me in the back for that? As far as I know, no one died because of those denials. And even if someone did die, I can sleep well at night knowing that it was nothing personal. Just business.
As for Parker, she is a hero and Mangione is the zero. I have a feeling that a conviction on all charges will result and he will spend the rest of his pathetic life in prison. He lost his freedom because he couldn’t manage his anger. Does he think that it was worth it? Only he knows that.
I am grateful to Parker and to people like her. People can’t just go around shooting people because they’re frustrated and angry, both emotions that are not justified here. It’s really sad and alarming to see so many people defend him. It’s a sad state of affairs when we have so many people calling, if it is really her, Nancy Parker, a rat.
She did the right thing.