Murder mystery sparks debate on faults of US healthcare system

Look-alike contests for well-known individuals have recently become a trend on TikTok. People have sought out those who resemble Timothée Chalamet, Zayn Malik, or Zendaya. In New York, on December 7th, a contest was held for those resembling a man who gained notoriety just three days earlier. No one knows exactly what he looks like.

The contest in New York sought individuals resembling the man who, on December 4th, shot Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a health insurance company. As of December 7th, the man had not been apprehended, and authorities only have a few partial images of his face. The reaction of Americans to this murder can be difficult to understand without knowledge of the U.S. healthcare system.

Across all social media platforms, from TikTok to Twitter, and even Facebook, where the older generation is more active, it is hard to find expressions of sympathy for Thompson. Instead, the killer has been met with almost unanimous understanding. Posts ironically summarizing that "sympathy is not in my benefits package" have gathered hundreds of thousands of likes.

UnitedHealthcare, where Thompson was an executive, is a health insurance company that denies over 30% of claims. In the United States, only private health insurance exists, and the legal system allows for the denial of claims if objections can be found. Even insured Americans often pay additional out-of-pocket for treatments, amounts often beyond their financial capability.

Instead of expressions of sympathy, social media is filled with testimonies from people to whom UnitedHealthcare (or other insurers) denied life-saving treatments. There are also stories of those who lost loved ones due to coverage denial by insurance companies. According to Gallup data, only 55% of Americans have access to adequate healthcare.

The mysterious killer has become a sort of spokesperson for the widespread anger of U.S. residents about the conditions they live under. The man engraved the words "deny," "defend," "depose" on the three bullet casings he fired with a silencer-equipped gun—referring to the legal tactics used by insurers to minimize payouts.

Other factors also fuel the popularity of the man who shot Thompson. Internet users noticed that at a New York City police press conference, there was almost a nod of approval regarding how efficiently the killer unjammed his gun after the first shot was fired. The man reportedly left the crime scene on a city bike and, as of December 8th, remains elusive, even though the FBI has joined the case.

The photos released by authorities do not provide a full view of the suspect's face, but even the fragments suggest he might be handsome. The first image released by the police was a frame from a hostel camera where the man allegedly stayed the day before the murder. It shows him flashing a radiant smile at the receptionist, with whom he flirted. Comments on social media indicate that "TikTok detectives," who are usually keen on uncovering secrets, are not interested in helping authorities track him down. Comments also suggest, "sharp vision isn't in my benefits package," and "I don't feel like this man is a threat to me."

The most intriguing aspect of this situation is that even in the comments of popular YouTubers, who regularly and successfully spread far-right propaganda, something happened that seemed impossible just a week earlier. Both Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh recorded videos where they attempted to criticize the way the "far left" reacted to the news of the insurance CEO's shooting.

In the comments under those videos, viewers unanimously rejected Shapiro's and Walsh's stance. They emphasized that the problem of a profit-driven, predatory healthcare system affects all Americans, regardless of ideology and political preferences. Moreover, the way these YouTubers tried to "present" the topic proved so implausible and unacceptable that the most popular comment under Ben Shapiro's video stated, "I just realized that your entire business model relies on us, ordinary people, hating each other."