(Photo
by
Spencer
Platt/Getty
Images)
One
of
the
biggest
real
life
legal
dramas
of
the
year
came
at
the
end
of
2024.
Specifically,
the
murder
of
Brian
Thompson,
CEO
of
UnitedHealthcare.
The
news
triggered
public
complaints
about
the
company
and
the
healthcare
system
in
general.
People
complained
about
claims
and
procedures
being
denied,
the
rising
cost
of
insurance
premiums,
excessive
executive
compensation,
and
medical
debt
that
wiped
out
savings
and
even
led
to
bankruptcy.
A
suspect,
26-year-old
Luigi
Mangione,
has
been
caught
and
has
been
charged
with
murder
and
various
other
crimes
in
both
state
and
federal
courts.
He
has
been
living
with
back
pain
even
after
undergoing
surgery.
His
motive
could
be
his
personal
frustration
with
his
health
insurance
company.
But
he
may
have
done
it
in
the
hopes
that
it
will
bring
changes.
Some
consider
him
a
hero
for
doing
what
they
couldn’t
do.
On
the
internet,
there
are
alibi
memes,
people
on
social
media
declaring
“I
condemn
murder
but….”
and
then
explaining
or
justifying
his
action.
There
is
even
art
and
merchandise
depicting
Mangione,
although
someone
has
been
aggressively
using
DMCA
to
take
them
down.
Because
of
Mangione’s
sudden
popularity,
some
have
speculated
that
even
if
the
evidence
points
to
his
guilt
beyond
a
reasonable
doubt,
a
sympathetic
jury
could
still
let
him
walk.
This
is
known
as
jury
nullification.
When
this
case
goes
to
trial,
both
sides
will
probably
talk
about
United
Healthcare’s
business
practices
and
possibly
the
health
insurance
business
in
general,
which
can
get
very
complicated.
While
insurance
executives
and
medical
directors
probably
do
not
maliciously
deny
claims
and
let
people
die
solely
for
profit,
they
have
a
finite
amount
of
money
and
so
they
cannot
give
everyone
what
they
want.
This
means
they
must
make
“trolley
problem”
decisions
on
a
massive
scale.
The
health
care
industry
is
not
perfect
and
unfortunately
many
people
will
not
get
the
care
they
think
is
best.
But
does
this
broad
problem
justify
one
person
killing
someone
else?
It
is
possible
that
he
could
have
instigated
change
through
nonlethal
means.
Whatever
the
prosecutor’s
strategy
is,
they
will
have
to
minimize
the
chances
of
jury
nullification
or
a
hung
jury.
While
people
are
understandably
upset
at
health
insurance
companies
like
UnitedHealthcare
for
various
reasons,
letting
a
killer
walk
because
they
hate
the
system
probably
won’t
bring
the
change
they
want.
Instead,
it
may
make
things
worse.
Good
people
with
solid
business
ethics
are
less
likely
to
take
health
insurance
executive
positions.
Those
who
do
will
want
exponentially
higher
pay
to
live
in
gated
communities
in
addition
to
full-time
security.
If
one
company
gives
these
perks,
other
insurance
companies
will
take
the
same
steps
to
protect
their
executives.
Where
will
that
money
come
from
to
cover
those
costs?
Higher
insurance
premiums.
Finally,
if
the
killer
did
what
he
did
as
a
form
of
protest,
then
he
must
be
willing
to
accept
the
consequences
of
his
actions.
Brian
Thompson’s
tragic
murder
was
committed
by
someone
with
severe
personal
issues.
But
some
people
see
it
as
the
only
way
to
effect
real
change
to
a
business
model
that
cares
more
about
profits
at
the
expense
of
its
customers.
But
now,
there
isn’t
a
perfect
model
of
health
care
for
the
masses.
If
there
was,
then
every
country
would
follow
it.
Until
that
perfect
model
is
found,
insurance
companies
should
be
more
responsive
to
their
customers’
grievances.
And
those
who
kill
should
be
held
accountable.
Steven
Chung
is
a
tax
attorney
in
Los
Angeles,
California.
He
helps
people
with
basic
tax
planning
and
resolve
tax
disputes.
He
is
also
sympathetic
to
people
with
large
student
loans.
He
can
be
reached
via
email
at
[email protected].
Or
you
can
connect
with
him
on
Twitter
(@stevenchung)
and
connect
with
him
on LinkedIn.