There is an undeniably captivating element in the story of a man, so fed up with the system that he takes justice into his own hands, points a finger at the dastardly individual responsible, and is hunted by the government for ending the villain’s life.
It’s an exciting narrative to follow — using a 3D printed “ghost gun,” fleeing on an e-bike, and staying on the run for days. Seeing what Luigi Mangione allegedly managed to accomplish makes it feel like the world can be changed by just one person who tries hard enough.
But there are more realistic lessons to be learned from Mangione’s alleged assassination of an insurance company executive.
Despite the nature of Brian Thompsons’ death, another executive will nevertheless fill his position as UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. No interruption or meaningful improvement will come to the health insurance system that Mangione allegedly sought to change in the first place.
No one can deny the impact of the murder that was committed. Look-a-like contests, playing card decks, t-shirts, and a flood of endless news coverage spilled forth in the days after the killing and Mangione’s subsequent arrest. People across the nation shared stories online of how they have been wronged by a system that claims to help them.
The popular support across the political spectrum for the act, and for Mangione himself, serves as a climax to frustrations with a status quo that has become untenable — frustrations that have been present for many years but are now being spoken about openly.
The public and supportive response to the shooting does not mean we are ‘losing our humanity’ or glorifying violence. Instead, it shows we recognize that the system Brian Thompson represents has also cost us the lives of our friends and family.
We refuse to tolerate it any longer.
Mangione’s alleged actions encouraged millions to recall their denied claims, mountains of medical debt, care deserts, and the litany of other problems with our healthcare system — giving them the opportunity to speak out against them with the support of their community.
But actions like this do not bring about lasting change.
While many may be radicalized against the system due to this one act, it only pressures the insurance industry to further safeguard their profits against public pressure. Many companies have already chosen to remove the identities of their leadership from their websites, which further separates them from accountability.
More than ever before, people believe in dismantling the unjust system. But, due to the violent killing of a human being, making change will now be more difficult, as the association with “terrorist” activity will continue to follow activists.
However, it is not impossible.
Collective action is the only action that will bring substantive change. Only then can we hope to create a better healthcare system.
In the past, collective action has created meaningful change for Americans forced to rely on uncaring institutions. In the early 1900s, workers in industrial America lost wages when sickness prevented them from working. Additionally, the cost of medical expenses was frequently higher than their wage could afford. Workers at this time began to mobilize against medical practitioners, wealthy industrialists, and those in power who feared losing income and sought to preserve the nation’s dependence on the healthcare they offered.
The efforts withstood Cold War fearmongering about socialized medicine that attempted to discredit the movement. The movement, however, did not achieve much of note until it joined forces with the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.
In 1965, the broad coalition’s lobbying was finally successful when Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare and Medicaid Acts into law, promising insurance for retirees and low income individuals. Since the beginning of the bill, changes have been implemented to it, such as the Affordable Care Act, following efforts to aid more low-income people, pregnant individuals, children, and people with disabilities. These policies are far from perfect, but they represent remarkable progress.
Creating institutional and systematic change is a long, grueling task. However, for effective change that leads to the betterment of society, we cannot look to quick fixes involving violence and spectacle.
That is why any action taken must be collective, so that our most vulnerable neighbors will have a community to care for them in a system designed to make people reliant on insurance’s monopoly of care. This kind of action can only occur with enough people working together.
The current political moment can often seem devoid of hope, especially if what you’re hoping for is institutional change. The public response to the killing of Brian Thompson, however, demonstrates a desire for change that is not confined to the right-left binary that feels so inescapable. The challenge now is how to turn that outrage into productive collective action.
There is power in our reaction. When we fight together, we win together.
