Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a new poll. In the survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about 8 in 10 U.S. adults say the person who committed the killing has "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for the Dec. 4 shooting of Brian Thompson. About 7 in 10 adults say that denials for healthcare 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. Despite that, some have cast Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect charged with Thompson's murder, as a heroic figure in the aftermath of his arrest, which gave rise to an outpouring of grievances about insurance companies.
There are obvious benefits to medical technology. It can help detect diabetes, diagnose cancer, make highly accurate predictions in radiology, identify the presence of tuberculosis, and so much more. It can reduce human error. Some research even suggests that AI-powered applications in healthcare could improve patient outcomes by 30–40 percent while reducing treatment costs by up to 50 percent. But an increased use of medical technology has accelerated the problem of de-skilling, a reduction in the level of skill required to complete a task because some or all components of the task have been automated.
Technology is not just a tool to save costs and automate care but a lifeline to decrease clinician burden and empower patients to participate in their health. Prevention-focused models with cutting-edge innovations can help reshape healthcare into a system that prioritizes whole-person health, helping to improve longevity and health span while reducing the need for costly interventions altogether.
Carter's healthcare record deserves a more nuanced evaluation. More than any other modern president, he took on the healthcare industry, as well as his own allies, by attempting to address the high costs of American healthcare. And his healthcare proposals pushed his party toward the policy strategies that eventually produced the landmark Affordable Care Act in 2010. Carter's willingness to tackle the politically perilous task of trying to rein in healthcare costs offers a template for the kind of leadership and focus needed to address the healthcare system's enduring flaws in 2024.
UnitedHealth and Amedisys have agreed to extend the deadline to close their $3.3 billion merger agreement to next year, a filing showed on Friday, as the deal faces close scrutiny from the DOJ. The extension comes more than a month after the DOJ and three U.S. states filed a lawsuit to block the deal, citing concerns that it would reduce competition in the home health services market.