UHC CEO Gunned Down in Midtown Manhattan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The gun he used is wild, an updated version of the WW2 Weldon.

FFS, stop it with this nonsense. You people sound like morons parroting back whatever you hear the morons on TV saying

1) it’s Welrod, not “Weldon”…WelROD.

2) It was NOT a B&T Station 6/9 (the updated version of the WWII Welrod). It was a 9mm semiauto pistol, probably a Glock 19, with a likely home-made suppressor, since it lacked a recoil booster, as evidenced by the pistol jamming and having to be cycled manually after each shot.

Wow you’re so cool

Yes, I am cool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Their chance to get him was in the first couple of hours after the murder. He’s long gone. And the NYPD looks completely incompetent. They haven’t even figured out this guy’s name and they have a pretty clear picture and DNA.

Meh why does this case deserve any more resources than others?

I'm not saying it does. But it IS getting way more resources than others. And they really have no results despite those resources. NYPD does not come off as even competent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HE WAS MURDERED.
Have some decency please.

He had no decency. He was getting rich off the backs of denied claims and the devastation caused to the claimants. Unfettered greed.

Is United known to be worse than other insurance companies about denying claims or would PPs say this about any insurance exec?

United is widely known to be the one of the worst offenders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed at the number of people who think health insurance is the main problem, as if the hospitals just honest businessmen submitting bills for their services and the docs as well. The whole system is a sh&t show. Cardiologist in the US make like a half a million, in the Uk it’s like £150K.

People should be mad at their legislators for allowing it to get this way. This is not to say that insurers don’t have their problems but they are but one cog in the wheel of grift and dysfunction.

You're right, but people don't see, nor are they are directly impacted, by the things doctors do to pad their reimbursements.

Seriously? You’re complaining about a doctor earning $500K when they are actively saving lives and work 80 hours a week? You’re comparing their $500K to a CEO’s $10 million in earnings where they routinely deny people health coverage?

No doctors work 80 hours a week. Come on. Most barely work 35.

DC’s school and friend group has mainly doctors’ kids. They are all millionaires who have multiple homes and/or travel abroad for every school break and long weekends. They fly first class for a family of five or six. They drive the most expensive cars in town.

I see them at sports practices and games and all the school functions. I don’t think they work 80 hours.

They waste 2 hours of your time waiting on them. You see them for all of 5 minutes which they bill you $500 for. No, they don’t work 80 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed at the number of people who think health insurance is the main problem, as if the hospitals just honest businessmen submitting bills for their services and the docs as well. The whole system is a sh&t show. Cardiologist in the US make like a half a million, in the Uk it’s like £150K.

People should be mad at their legislators for allowing it to get this way. This is not to say that insurers don’t have their problems but they are but one cog in the wheel of grift and dysfunction.

You're right, but people don't see, nor are they are directly impacted, by the things doctors do to pad their reimbursements.

Seriously? You’re complaining about a doctor earning $500K when they are actively saving lives and work 80 hours a week? You’re comparing their $500K to a CEO’s $10 million in earnings where they routinely deny people health coverage?

No doctors work 80 hours a week. Come on. Most barely work 35.

DC’s school and friend group has mainly doctors’ kids. They are all millionaires who have multiple homes and/or travel abroad for every school break and long weekends. They fly first class for a family of five or six. They drive the most expensive cars in town.

I see them at sports practices and games and all the school functions. I don’t think they work 80 hours.

Most kids in med school are the children of doctors. They already come from money and those are family homes in a trust. Money begets money.

This is the likely scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HE WAS MURDERED.
Have some decency please.

He had no decency. He was getting rich off the backs of denied claims and the devastation caused to the claimants. Unfettered greed.

Is United known to be worse than other insurance companies about denying claims or would PPs say this about any insurance exec?

United is widely known to be the one of the worst offenders.

I know the Kaiser execs have 24 hour security now.

[Anonymous]

New angle on gun. It may have been a veterinarian gun used for putting animals down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed at the number of people who think health insurance is the main problem, as if the hospitals just honest businessmen submitting bills for their services and the docs as well. The whole system is a sh&t show. Cardiologist in the US make like a half a million, in the Uk it’s like £150K.

People should be mad at their legislators for allowing it to get this way. This is not to say that insurers don’t have their problems but they are but one cog in the wheel of grift and dysfunction.

You're right, but people don't see, nor are they are directly impacted, by the things doctors do to pad their reimbursements.

Seriously? You’re complaining about a doctor earning $500K when they are actively saving lives and work 80 hours a week? You’re comparing their $500K to a CEO’s $10 million in earnings where they routinely deny people health coverage?

No doctors work 80 hours a week. Come on. Most barely work 35.

DC’s school and friend group has mainly doctors’ kids. They are all millionaires who have multiple homes and/or travel abroad for every school break and long weekends. They fly first class for a family of five or six. They drive the most expensive cars in town.

I see them at sports practices and games and all the school functions. I don’t think they work 80 hours.

This is hilarious. I'm a pediatrician and I make 180k. First class for a family of 6 to Europe, here I come!! /s/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed at the number of people who think health insurance is the main problem, as if the hospitals just honest businessmen submitting bills for their services and the docs as well. The whole system is a sh&t show. Cardiologist in the US make like a half a million, in the Uk it’s like £150K.

People should be mad at their legislators for allowing it to get this way. This is not to say that insurers don’t have their problems but they are but one cog in the wheel of grift and dysfunction.

Cardiologists actually provide an extremely valuable service. Insurance companies suck money out of the system. Do you really not see the difference?

Fake moral equivalence is only tool the insurance companies have right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He didn’t wear gloves in the pictures where he shoots him. Surprised, I thought that was Murderer 101. Perhaps he went bare to have more dexterity with the chamber reloading

Definitely for dexterity. It was cold that morning. Which is likely why he went inside the Starbucks for a bit to remain warmed up.

I think he had a spotter at the other hotel. That’s who was speaking to on the phone. And that’s how he knew the target was on the move and able to get into position only 5 minutes in advance.

This is the best explanation I have heard. Why else would he be in the phone minutes before.

And taking the bus means no car tracking or license plates.

If he had a spotter, this isn’t really about a denied claim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HE WAS MURDERED.
Have some decency please.

He had no decency. He was getting rich off the backs of denied claims and the devastation caused to the claimants. Unfettered greed.

Is United known to be worse than other insurance companies about denying claims or would PPs say this about any insurance exec?

United is widely known to be the one of the worst offenders.

I know the Kaiser execs have 24 hour security now.

Airline execs are now getting 24/7 security. Pharma is next. Hospital systems already talking about it.
These costs get passed on.

[Anonymous]

This couldn't have happened at a worse time for UHC. December 15 is the open enrollment deadline for the exchange and for many corporate plans. That ubiquitous denial rate graphic is going to hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New angle on gun. It may have been a veterinarian gun used for putting animals down.

I thought veterinarians used a drug cocktail for putting down animals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m amazed at the number of people who think health insurance is the main problem, as if the hospitals just honest businessmen submitting bills for their services and the docs as well. The whole system is a sh&t show. Cardiologist in the US make like a half a million, in the Uk it’s like £150K.

People should be mad at their legislators for allowing it to get this way. This is not to say that insurers don’t have their problems but they are but one cog in the wheel of grift and dysfunction.

Cardiologists actually provide an extremely valuable service. Insurance companies suck money out of the system. Do you really not see the difference?

In many cases they keep the system from ripping people off and in many cases make sure that people don’t get the wrong med or unnecessary procedures. I know you think your doctor is the bees knees and would never do anything unethical or wrong but you would be wrong. Consider the fact that so many physician groups have sold out to PE who are managing care by the way in which they manage the practice. The docs didn’t sell because they are concerned about the good of the patients - they wanted a paycheck. There are no innocents in this game.

Yep. Private equity is all over specialized surgical and medical groups …. these doctors are money machines. Cha Ching! $$ Smart doctors know how to game the system. Spend 15 minutes with a patient, quick exam, order scans. Done. Next!

Even large hospital groups order needless scans, ultrasounds, blood work, procedures, unnecessary surgeries…it’s insane.

Yes—I’m generally pro doctor but anyone who thinks that doctors don’t need checks on spending is naive. The nursing homes are notorious for ordering useless tests and therapies to pad their profits. And lots of doctors will just write whatever test or script their patient wants because it’s easier than arguing or because they are making a profit (remember the opioid epidemic?). Everyone would like to have great doctors who only prescribe medically necessary stuff and only do so in their best interest, and have affordable health care that covers all medically necessary treatments, even if those treatments cost millions of dollars a year for a single condition. But it’s not reality. Yes, let’s crack down on the bad actors, but this generalized hate for health insurance providers is just so naive and dangerous. Does anyone remember the world before health insurance? Working class people just died if they got anything that needed more than a doctors visit. Pooling of risk is a good thing—that’s what insurance is. But insurance companies have to follow their written policies.

Some of what you say sounds like nonsense to me, such as your claim that nursing homes are notorious for ordering unnecessary tests to pad profits. Maybe in Florida, and I saw an episode of Blue Bloods that has something like that (as if the DA's office would be the front line for investigating a nursing home), but in general that's not how things are set up. The opioid epidemic resulted from a combination of factors ranging from a blitzkrieg of deceptive marketing and pushing certain narratives about pain management that shaped standards of care, a very corrupt drug company, criminal doctors and pharmacies, the resulting addictions, and the continuing lack of truly effective methods of managing chronic pain.

Physician income in the US is highest in the world (except for Luxemburg) yet for primary medicine, including pediatrics, compensation has been dropping for several years, training takes more years in the US than in many countries, and costs a huge amount more (German medical school tuition is free, in the UK it's about $20k USD a year and taught as an undergrad degree). The percentage of doctors in private practice has been dropping--the majority are now employees of "non-profit" corporations (many of which make a ton of money but convert it into assets and function much like a for-profit company) and private equity (Read the grim stories about Steward Healthcare, St. Elizabeth's, and the woman who died shortly after childbirth from a liver bleed because the equipment needed to save her life had been repossessed).

Plus, UHC is not just insurance. It is:
Medicare Advantage, which incentivizes the insurers to falsify patient medical information to qualify for higher payments from CMS and to deny needed care
a system of vertical and horizontal integration which captures physician, hospital, clinic, and pharmacy services and provides a way to sidestep federal limits of profit after claims

It just so happens that a number of insurance companies have been in the bulls-eye for anti-trust reasons as well as for fraud. In UHC's home state some major healthcare providers have decided to drop UHC MA because of its claims denials, which forces patients to change doctors or change insurance. Formularies change by the year--a woman was denied the safer version B of a drug while she was pregnant because she had to "fail" version A first, and the next plan year A was dropped from the formulary and she was only allowed to take B. Doctors end up spending hours of unpaid time dealing with insurance issues (and every insurer having its own procedures and paperwork) while being expected by their employers to pack in 40 pati9ents a day.

If health insurance was only risk management, everyone would just have catastrophic policies. It's not the same as homeowners or car insurance at all. It's also a maintenance plan for a mechanism (the human body) that often has design flaws or is poorly maintained or is forced to operate in harmful environments (environmental pollution, for example) or to the limits of its tolerance (people in low-wage, physically onerous jobs) besides occasionally encountering a catastrophe and is also almost guaranteed to need a LOT of maintenance in the final years before it is discarded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He didn’t wear gloves in the pictures where he shoots him. Surprised, I thought that was Murderer 101. Perhaps he went bare to have more dexterity with the chamber reloading

Definitely for dexterity. It was cold that morning. Which is likely why he went inside the Starbucks for a bit to remain warmed up.

I think he had a spotter at the other hotel. That’s who was speaking to on the phone. And that’s how he knew the target was on the move and able to get into position only 5 minutes in advance.

This is the best explanation I have heard. Why else would he be in the phone minutes before.

And taking the bus means no car tracking or license plates.

If he had a spotter, this isn’t really about a denied claim.

Media is reporting the bullet casings and live rounds found at the scene had “deny” “defend” “depose” written on them, so seems like the killer’s motive (or motive of whoever hired the killer) is indeed along those lines.