Shock poll: 41 percent of young voters find killing of UHC CEO Acceptable (40% don't)

[kerry-is-my-prez]

Shock poll: 41 percent of young voters find killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO acceptable
Filip Timotija
Tue, December 17, 2024

https://www.yahoo.com/news/shock-poll-41-percent-young-165627587.html

A poll found 41 percent of adults under 30 consider the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson acceptable, more than the 40 percent in that demographic who consider it unacceptable.

-snip-

The survey from Emerson College Polling found 68 percent of all respondents found the actions of the person who shot and killed Thompson unacceptable.
But a startling 24 percent of those aged 18-29 found it “somewhat acceptable,” and 17 percent of that group found it completely acceptable.

-snip-

Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, said 22 percent of Democrats said they found the killing acceptable, compared to 16 percent of independents and 12 percent of Republicans. He said the overall findings underscored “shifting societal attitudes among the youngest electorate and within party lines.”

Responses:

1h ago
I don't know that "acceptable" would be the right word. Maybe "understandable."
I neither think how insurance companies choose who gets what care - resulting in death is acceptable, nor do I think killing for the lack of doled out benefit is acceptable. I do think the latter is understandable.
Not a "young" voter.


The feelings are mutual for us as it is
for them! They don't care n we don't
either

The .01 percent can only hammer
people so long before they get the
Mary Antoinette trearment.

Really sad to hear but I have warned repeatedly that the current political, judicial and economic landscape makes vigilantes popular.
Fix the corruption in high places or you beg for another French Revolution.

Yea, clean out the Weasels that are
ripping us off CEO'S AND CROOKED
POLITICIANS LIKE THE CRIMINAL
THAT JUST GOT ELECTED

[RandySF]

1. No shock at all.

[DeepWinter]

51. Well

I guess we've lost the gun debate since assasination is acceptable if it's the right person.

[Historic NY]

2. Imagine if these companies would just close

overnight with no warning...that will make millions happy.

[Think. Again.]

6. Their shareholders would never allow that...

...the best we can hope for is that they begin running the businesses so that they make a fair profit without hurting people.

[EX500rider]

24. What do you consider a "fair profit"?

UnitedHealth Group average net profit margin for 2022 was 6.05%

UnitedHealth Group average net profit margin for 2021 was 5.82%

They make much less and they go out of business.

[ColinC]

36. ...

Yeah they'll totally go outta business if they get any less than(checks notes) 100 billion dollars???!

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/unitedhealth-beats-street-6b-q3-profit

UnitedHealth Group kicked off another round of earnings calls for major health insurance companies Tuesday morning, when it reported $6.06 billion in profit for the third quarter of 2024.

That's up slightly from the $5.8 billion the company posted in the third quarter of 2023. However, UnitedHealth has brought in $8.9 billion in profit through the first three quarters of the year, down by close to half from the $16.9 billion reported through the first nine months of 2023.

The profit number surpassed Wall Street analysts' expectations, according to Zacks Investment Research.

UnitedHealth also beat the Street on revenue, according to Zacks, bringing in $100.8 billion in the third quarter. By comparison, UHG brought in $92.4 billion in revenue in the prior-year quarter.

[EX500rider]

37. That's revenue not profit

It's easy to go out of business with 100 billion in revenue just have 120 billion in expenses

[ColinC]

38. They shouldnt be getting ANY profit!

!??!

6 to 16 billion dollars is their profit!

Healthcare should NEVER be a for profit venture

And when those "expenses" generally include CEO golden parachutes, I could totally see how that's possible

[EX500rider]

39. Running a private company without any profit is a way to go out of business

They're gross income is around $371 billion dollars
And their profit margin has been between 5 and 8% which is pretty weak for most companies.
No profit no expanding facilities no new facilities no new hires no new equipment no raises for employees Etc

[ColinC]

41. It isnt a private company

It's a publicly traded corporation. They're success depends on whether shareholder profits INCREASE each year. Not whether they make any profit.

Also. It's healthcare: deciding who lives and who dies based on profit. They shouldn't be involved in any of it in the first place.

[EX500rider]

42. Yes & corporations need to make a profit or go out of business also

[ColinC]

47. Unlike private companies, they need to consistently make

more profit.

Not just profit.


Also unlike private companies, they are also beholden to individual shareholders who are expected to make a consistent profit..

Also unlike private companies, profit is based on individual shareholder actions on the stock market as much as the actual business decisions made in the boardroom.


Also unlike private companies, an individual shareholder can crash the entire company if they didn't like an individual business decision that didnt personally make them money.

Also unlike private companies, all business decisions must be made based on increased profit and cost cutting, and not accomplishing the overall mission of the company (saving lives, in this case)

At this point I hope you can see why increased profit and saving lives is a contradictory mission for a healthcare company

[sarisataka]

8. Would you be happy

to wake up tomorrow and find insurance companies closed, now you have no insurance?

Personally I would be a bit stressed

[ForgedCrank]

48. Health insurance

is one of the primary drivers of out extreme healthcare costs.
What doctor would be able to get 300 bucks for a 15 minute visit if insurance wasn't paying it? Same for all the other costs, the concept remains the same.
The system is bloated for the same reasons that student loans drive college expenses to such wild levels. Certain people are living fat off of this hog. They don't care what each unit costs, they just pass it along to the consumer in the end.

[TBF]

33. Gosh, what would their billionaire executives do?

And if their profit margins are so tiny (which I don't believe for a second), why are they paying the executives so much?

Yes, I want them out of business and replaced with single payer. 100%

[JanMichael]

54. But they have such low profit. Sarc

Companies like that intentionally use legal tricks to reduce their net profit that they report to reduce their tax obligation.

So if something says 5.2%, it's probably closer to 10% or something else we don't know because they are very secretive. They wouldn't be in the business if they couldn't make money hand over fist. So anybody saying they have low profit margins doesn't understand big business.

[yardwork]

65. If all the health insurance companies closed, we'd have a solution!

We'd have Medicare for all, with no for-profit middleman.

[Omnipresent]

76. This!

[Irish_Dem]

3. I guess they figure that adults never protected them from school shooters.

Why should they protect anyone?

[Think. Again.]

4. I guess it's a "Robin Hood" affect.

Doing something bad to people who do bad things, in order to protect innocent people?

Or maybe it's like how some people thought the girl who killed her abuser should not be convicted?

[sheshe2]

11. 'Robin Hood' stole from the rich to give to the poor...

He didn't go around shooting them in the back.

[Think. Again.]

13. Correct! but as I mentioned...

I guess it's a Robin Hood affect, Doing something bad to people who do bad things, in order to protect innocent people.

[sheshe2]

17. Yes, however stalking and shooting someone in the back...

That is not a "bad thing", it is cold blooded murder and it did nothing to protect anyone.

Period.

[Think. Again.]

23. yes, letting people die to make profit IS definitely a bad thing.

Maybe all this discussion will stop that.

[EX500rider]

25. Private health insurance companies either make a profit or go out of business

[Think. Again.]

28. You do realize that "profit" comes in many amounts, right?

Anything above $1 in profit means the company is still in the black, and can continue paying all it's employees, even the multi-million dollar a year CEOs like the dead guy.

Outlandishly excessive profits aren't necessary for a company to stay in business.

[EX500rider]

31. Is 5 & 6% "Outlandishly excessive" in your opinion?

[Think. Again.]

32. When billions are in play? yes.

[EX500rider]

34. So they should just break even every year?

No $ saved up for a bad year, no money to expand facilities or buy new equipment or hire new people or give raises?

Proton therapy systems represent one of the most expensive medical equipment categories available. The costs associated with these systems can range from $150 million to $250 million for installation, maintenance, and operation.

No private company can be run that way.

[Think. Again.]

45. You do realize that health insurance companies don't do actual medicine, right?

...so I don't know why you're throwing out high-priced medical equipment numbers.

And I suspect you also know that I'm referring to the excessive profits that denying 1/3 of all claims makes for UHG.

[Scrivener7]

60. Which is exactly the problem with the very existence of private health insurance companies.

[sheshe2]

35. Shooting someone in the back is not a good thing. Period.

Discussion? Hero worship and making a man a Saint for shooting a man in the back does not a discussion make.

[Think. Again.]

46. It's a good thing I haven't done those things then.

[Laurelin]

56. Yes but

Is it always wrong, really? Hitler? Soldiers in war? In this case I agree it was both wrong and stupid, but I think people have always found exceptions to murder being wrong.

[Omnipresent]

77. Would any of the allied nations have cried..

…If Hitler were assassinated/murdered during WWII?

[BeyondGeography]

5. Maybe there's hope for the country after all

[Kaleva]

15. Maybe not considering how many voted for Trump

[BeyondGeography]

16. Ie someone who promised to break things

As opposed to defending the status quo. Maybe we could figure out how to get off the canvas, tap that energy and improve the country.

[underpants]

7. I stated the fact that he's a murderer yesterday

on Facebook and was deluged with people making excuses for him and lots of red herrings.

🙄

[sarisataka]

9. Is that all?

I would have expected it to be over 70 %

[multigraincracker]

10. Can't afford medical care.....

just take a chicken to the doctor.
Can't afford food, just let them eat cake.

and here we go again..

[Elessar Zappa]

12. Oh.

Imagine that.

[Kaleva]

14. A surprising number of young people voted for Trump

"Young voters as a whole favored Kamala Harris to Donald Trump, 52% to 46%, in the 2024 presidential election. Yet, as with every age group this year, youth showed a notable shift toward Trump compared to how they voted in 2020. "

https://now.tufts.edu/2024/11/12/young-voters-shifted-toward-trump-still-favored-harris-overall

[Mariana]

85. A surprising number, but still a lower percentage than their elders.

[Kaleva]

90. I may be wrong but didn't Harris do better with the 65 and older crowd?

[Mosby]

18. Its only the 18-29 demo

Something is wrong with them.

United Healthcare CEO killing acceptable or unacceptable by age breakdown:

18-29: 41/40 acceptable
30-39: 56/23 unacceptable
40-49: 69/13 unacceptable
50-59: 73/8 unacceptable
60-69: 81/10 unacceptable
70-79: 81/10 unacceptable

[underpants]

22. Completely changes the story. Thanks. That's what my daughter has been telling me

She’s disgusted about the excuses for this guy - the murderer. You can’t just kill someone.

[Think. Again.]

26. I bet the insurance salesman guy wishes someone had told him that.

[SheltieLover]

27. Read The Anxious Generation

Very well supported by research & written by a Social Psychologist.

[Arazi]

61. They've grown up with our indifference to their deaths

In school shootings.

I don’t think anything’s wrong with them.

It’s what’s wrong with the rest of us (society, not DUers specifically) that’s caused this group to feel this way

[Mosby]

69. They also grew up playing violent video games

Last edited Wed Dec 18, 2024, 10:08 AM - Edit history (1)

And watching ultra violent movies. Even the porn today is violent, it didn't used to be. Violent sports like MMA is popular with that cohort.

I work with lots of young people, it's literally difficult to make small talk because gaming and movies is all they know about, and all they care about it seems.

[bucolic_frolic]

19. Love ya'all Francophiles .......... Mary Antoinette

It's Marie. Marie. French form of Mary,

So I guess this 40% is none too happy with all the corporate execs with M.B.A. degrees.

And that's Master of Business Administration, not Mary of Business Administration.

[Bettie]

20. One of my sons is a pharmacy tech

he has to tell people daily that their insurance has decided not to cover their medication anymore.

It makes him angry that someone can't afford antibiotics for their sick kid, but he says it is happening more lately with the drug benefits from Medicare Advantage customers. He is a kind hearted kid and it breaks his heart to see elderly people start to cry when they can't afford their medication.

He's more along the line of the "understandable" comment in the OP. He gets why someone would do it. He believes that the rich guys will just close ranks and work harder to screw people over, as some kind of revenge.

[SheltieLover]

29. Medicare Advantage is private ins companies.

Rat fuckers.

[MichMan]

78. What if someone threatens him for participating in a corrupt system and takes their denial out on the messenger?

[Bettie]

81. Everyone in the country could be shot at any time

because there are guns everywhere.

He grew up knowing that he could be shot at school on any day and no one beyond his parents would give a single fuck.

Our family would care, but no one else would; life has no value in this country anymore, well, except for CEO's...we're all supposed to wail and rend our garments for them.

[MichMan]

83. The difference is no one would consider any of those shootings to be justified

[Bettie]

84. The vast majority of people shot

don't have a job where the more people they kill (via spreadsheet) the larger their paycheck.

And I don't think the shooting was justified, nor does my son, but we both understand why some might feel that way.

I didn't know that it was required to wail and rend our garments about the death of every rich guy out there.

So, did you celebrate Penney being found not guilty?

[The Grand Illuminist]

21. Just like Dorner tipping LAPD's hand.

Mangione tipped UHC's hand. Look for more to come.

[TBF]

30. Immediate self-defense is most justifiable -

but there are other murders where we can at least understand where the perpetrator is coming from. That is where someone like Luigi comes in. Who has not experienced denied claims from an insurance company, whether trivial or at times with very serious results? Murder by spreadsheet is just as bad as a shot in the back, if it's your loved one being denied care for an otherwise fatal condition. That's why I have empathy, and so do others. I actually think they put the terrorism charge in there not only to pacify executives, but also to urge a plea. It's going to be a difficult jury to put together.

[Kaleva]

49. I'm not surprised that some here support execution without trial

Not everyone here is a progressive.

You speak of those who commit murder by spreadsheet. What efforts have you made to bring them to justice? My guess is that you haven't made any effort which would mean it doesn't bother you at all.

[republianmushroom]

40. Shock, No, they grew-up with school shooting.

[Blue_Tires]

44. I don't find it "acceptable", but I'm not mourning for the guy either

[Kaleva]

50. Tolerating execution without trial would be a Maga position IMO

[Think. Again.]

52. And so is causing death for profit, IMO

[Kaleva]

57. Do we agree and you publicly denounce the murderer of the CEO?

Or are you supportive of execution without trial under certain circumstances?

[Think. Again.]

59. Two different questions.

[Kaleva]

62. So do you denounce execution without trial under certain circumstances?

A progressive wouldn't hesitate to do so. Hell, even the Nazis were given trials after WWII.

But one doesn't have to be a progressive to be a member of DU. Some may believe we ought to keep our gun laws lax so that others may easily get guns to carry out executions of certain undesirables such as CEOs of health insurance companies

[Think. Again.]

63. What are the conditions?

Also, the insurance salesman guy was killed with a 3D printed gun.

Also, You may have noticed that I have not made any statements in any of my posts that address the murder itself, so I don't understand why you are asking me these questions.

[Kaleva]

64. Just curious as to what your position is

IMHO, a progressive wouldn't hesitate to publicly denounce execution without trial under any circumstance. Everyone, even the most despicable , should be afforded the right to trial where they are given the opportunity to face their accusers and defend themselves. But that's just my opinion.

[Think. Again.]

67. Obviously, from the results of that poll....

...there are many people who feel the justice system is not protecting them from the deaths and other harms being commited by health insurance industry decision-makers such as the dead insurance guy, and I believe it's reasonable to assume that a portion of that 41% of young people are Progressives.

[Avalon Sparks]

73. This progressive

Disagrees with you. I absolutely do NOT denounce in some cases, like this one.

[sarisataka]

72. I find that silence

is usually the loudest answer

[Scrivener7]

53. That's on us. Our ho-hum attitude to the danger they faced in the form of school shootings has to contribute

to this.

But, you know, it's a clip not a magazine. So we aren't allowed to talk about it.

[Bettie]

70. No...I think it's a magazine, not a clip

I've been gunsplained to a lot.

And every time, I give the gunsplainer a salute...with one finger.

[Emile]

55. People are realizing Predatory Capitalists are killing us.

[Johnny2X2X]

58. Hundreds of school shootings every year

No one does a single thing about them. But 1 CEO gets killed and Congress is ready to act immediately.

I won't be surprised if they pass some law making it a more serious crime to harm a CEO. Our entire system exists to protect rich CEOs like Musk, Bezos, Trump, and Thompson.

[yardwork]

66. That's probably one reason so many young people aren't shocked by this murder.

[Johnny2X2X]

68. The only thing shocking is that it didn't happen sooner

That we've allowed these ghouls to prey upon society for so long without any repercussions for their evil is shocking.

100 years ago if there was a class of people that go around getting rich off people's pain, sufferinig, and deaths, they'd have been hung. Now we live in a world where Congress might pass special laws to protect them from the consequences of their killing.

[yardwork]

79. 100 years ago there was just such a class of wealthy people.

They brought on the Great Depression and their overreach resulted in the New Deal. They were terrified of anarchists and socialists so they gave up a little.

I hope that happens again because the alternative is far worse.

[sarisataka]

82. Perhaps you never had a history class on the 1920's

In fact, income inequality increased so much during the 1920s, that by 1928, the top one percent of families received 23.9 percent of all pretax income. About 60 percent of families made less than $2,000 a year, the income level the Bureau of Labor Statistics classified as the minimum livable income for a family of five.

https://www.history.com/news/roaring-twenties-labor-great-depression

Most of those 60% making below a living wage worked in sweatshops, dangerous factories or other hazardous conditions.

[walkingman]

71. There could be several reasons many young people approve of the CEO murder.

Some of it could be the "Robinhood" effect, the concept of “social banditry”. People who operate outside the law and are admired for their efforts to dole out justice in an unjust world — like Robin Hood, or Jesse James.

It makes me wonder what is the value we place on human life.

We saw the loss of life be justified as retribution for an industry that seems to undervalue life. The loss of life was legitimized because the lives of so many have been lost to an unresponsive government that won't do anything to curb gun violence. We saw the public shrug at the loss of life because we, as a culture, have put so little worth on life, which, tells us how the youth views the world around them.

What part of our humanity are we losing when we can justify the unjustifiable. Is this the society we want to be?

[LeftInTX]

89. They need to poll everyone again and ask them why...

We're trying to guess why they support him.

[mountain grammy]

74. So vote for universal healthcare already

The.Only.Issue

[MichMan]

80. Will the same people justify the shooting of government officials if care is denied? n/t

Last edited Wed Dec 18, 2024, 12:27 PM - Edit history (1)

No universal healthcare system approves every procedure.

[Arazi]

87. Whatever those denial numbers would be under M4A

It will be substantially less than the ruined and permanently injured people plus the dead ones from the denials under our current system.

Look to Medicare and Medicaid denial rates for what we might expect.

Nobody’s raging over those percentages

[CoopersDad]

75. --Not--Shocked--In--The--Least--

If we look at the trajectory of US history and more recently, global history as technology has us becoming one worldwide oligarchy, the endgame is clear to see:

Revolution by groups or by individuals seems to be the response those in power should expect to see.

K/R.

[krawhitham]

86. This is what happens when you let socal media raise the children

[LeftInTX]

88. We can go back and forth about why. However, I wish they would poll everyone and find out their reasons why

We have seen alarming support for racist shooters such Zimmerman and Rittenhouse. Why are they supporting Mangione? Is it because of school shootings? Why is it? Is it the fact that he shot a CEO? Do they also support Rittenhouse? Just because they live with school shootings? Why would they support one shooting over another shooting? Is it about health insurance?

I kinda don't think it's about school shootings. Maybe it is. But it would be worth asking them.

[Jacson6]

91. They should have asked this question in the poll.

If someone had a disagreement with one of your family members about business do you think that it would be okay if the person murdered them?

They will have a new perspective about what is going on here.

[LeftInTX]

92. Is this why?

__________

Will he grace the front page of 16 Mag along with the latest boy bands?