UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: Poll finds insurance profits, killer are to blame

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - A new poll shows most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. However, not as much responsibility as the person who shot him, a new poll shows. 

Luigi Mangione, who is charged with Thompson's murder, has been cast as a heroic figure in the aftermath of his arrest. Thompson's killing on Dec. 4 has also prompted some to voice their resentment at U.S. health insurers, with Mangione serving as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. It has also sent shockwaves through the corporate world, rattling executives who say they have received a spike in threats.

Adults say insurance companies bear some responsibility for Thompson's death

What the poll says: In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults said the person who committed the killing has "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for Thompson's death. 

Meanwhile, about 7 in 10 adults say that denials for health care coverage by insurance companies, or the profits made by health insurance companies, also bear at least "a moderate amount" of responsibility for Thompson’s death. 

About half of the people polled believe that at least a "moderate amount" of blame is rooted in wealth or income inequality, but they did not think other factors like political divisions in the U.S. held the same level of responsibility. 

Survey from NORC at the University of Chicago.

How younger Americans feel

Dig deeper: Americans under 30 are more likely to think a mix of factors is to blame for Thompson’s death, with the poll finding insurance company denials and profits are about as responsible as Thompson’s killer for his death. 

About 7 in 10 U.S. adults between 18 and 29 say "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility falls on profits made by health insurance companies, denials of health care coverage by health insurance companies or the person who committed the killing.

Only about 4 in 10 adults under 30 say "a great deal" of responsibility falls on the person who fatally shot Thompson. However, about 6 in 10 people between ages 30 and 59 say that. About 8 in 10 adults over 60 say the shooter deserves "a great deal" of responsibility. 

The case

The backstory: According to authorities, Mangione shot and killed Thompson, of Maple Grove, Minnesota, on the morning of Dec. 4 as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan.

Mangione was arrested inside a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

He is charged with federal murder and stalking charges, as well as state charges that include murder and terror charges. 

Mangione, an Ivy-league graduate from a prominent Maryland family, appeared to have cut himself off from family and friends in recent months. He posted frequently in online forums about his struggles with back pain. He was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.

Thompson, a married father of two children, worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm back in 2021.