Most young adults believe discontent with the nationâs health insurance system and the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, share equal responsibility in the executiveâs murder, according to a new poll.
Nearly 70% of U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 29 said âa great dealâ or âmoderate amountâ of responsibility for the Thompsonâs murder can be attributed to âdenials for health care coverage by health insurance companies,â âprofits made by health insurance companiesâ and âthe individual who committed the killing,â according to a survey from NORC at the University of Chicago conducted between Dec. 12-16 with 1,001 adults participating.
Adults between the ages of 18-29 are also the least likely age cohort to believe âa great dealâ of the blame for Thompsonâs murder falls on Luigi Mangione, the executiveâs suspected killer, according to the APâs interpretation of the poll results. Though roughly 80% of adults over the age of 60 believe âa great dealâ of responsibility falls on the Thompsonâs killer, only about 40% of adults under 30 state the same.
The majority of adults under 30 also stated that âwealth and income inequality in generalâ has at least a âmoderate amountâ of responsibility for Thompsonâs murder.
Roughly three in ten of the pollâs participants answered that their immediate family or close friends experienced difficulties in getting coverage from their health insurer over the past year, according to page three of the survey.
The pollâs findings follow a wave of public support for Mangione and fury at the American healthcare system that has spread online since the executive was gunned down walking into a midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4.
Social media users have fawned over Mangioneâs looks and scrutinized whether the suspected killer and his attorney wore matching outfits during an appearance in court.
Saturday Night Liveâs crowd cheered for Mangione following SNL Weekend Update host Colin Jost mentioning the suspected killerâs name during an episode on Dec. 21.
Several left-wing lawmakers have attempted to place Thompsonâs assassination in the context of Americansâ alleged broader discontent with the healthcare system.
âWhat I see happening in this country, though, is a real, visceral anger that the outrage at Brian Thompsonâs death, or the outrage at the death of any powerful person, isnât matched by the anger over the thousands of people who die often anonymous deaths every single day in this country at the hands of a healthcare industry that mostly doesnât give a sh*t about people and only cares about profits,â Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said in a video posted to social media on Dec 16.
âThe Business model of the healthcare industry is to deny care â necessary medical care â to people who need it and force them into bankruptcy, or worse, let them die, in order to grow profit,â Murphy added.
Taylor Lorenz, a high-profile internet trends reporter who has frequently courted media controversies, also made derogatory comments about Thompson and the health insurance industry following the executiveâs murder.
âAnd people wonder why we want these executives dead,â Lorenz posted in a now-deleted tweet in response to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield releasing a now-retracted policy to deny claims for certain anesthesia procedures.
Lorenz also tweeted out a photo and the name of Blue Cross Blue Shieldâs CEO shortly after Thompson was murdered.
President-elect Donald Trump criticized Americans glorifying Mangione during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 16.
âI think itâs a terrible thing. Itâs really terrible some people seem to admire him,â Trump said.
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