On December 4th, 2024, CEO Brian Thompson of United Healthcare (UHC) is shot and killed in New York City. The words “Deny, Delay, Depose” are found on the bullet shells; a nod to a major critique of the health industry’s profit centered approach and their tendency to “Delay, Deny, Defend.”

UHC denied approximately a third of claims received in 2024. Following Thompson’s death, there is an outpouring of rage against medical insurers across the country. Many major news sources comment on the difference in punishment between state sanctioned death via medical abandonment versus direct physical violence.

A man named Luigi Mangione with chronic back pain is indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism. A fundraiser for his legal fees raises over $160,000 as of December 20, with many donors sharing their own experiences of treatment coverage denial and medical debt. Across the country in Florida, a woman disputing a medical insurance denial claim is arrested on December 10th for saying “deny, delay, depose… you people are next” on a phone call with Blue Cross Blue Shield.