United Healthcare CEO’s murderer, Luigi Mangione, has been gaining popularity. If you get online right now, you’ll probably see some mention of his name. Topics on him range from conspiracy theories to people defending him for his good looks. The world is buzzing with thoughts and feelings on the case, but one discussion stood out the most to me: Mangione proved that the government doesn’t care about its citizens.
Brian Thompson, the United Healthcare CEO, was shot and killed on December 4, 2025. His assailant was Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old man, who allegedly committed the crime to express anger towards the health insurance industry. After a five-day search, Luigi was caught and arrested by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
After the shooting, authorities hopped right on the case. Immediately the photos of the shooter were spread around, encouraging people to alert authorities if they found the suspect. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the conviction and arrest of Mangione. It seemed that the NYPD would not rest until they found Mangione.
In most cases, people would agree that a murderer should be caught and arrested, but in the case of Mangione, people don’t seem to be having such a reaction. Many people have found the intense search for Mangione to be an insult to the American public, and that authorities care far too much about Brian Thompson’s death.
As irrational as this anger sounds, many people have valid reasons to be angry. During 2024, around 17,000 deaths in the US were caused by firearms, excluding suicides. Most of these deaths don’t get anywhere near the amount of attention that Thompson got, and most killers aren’t nearly as sought after as Mangione.
After being found, Mangione was charged with 20 counts in federal court, the Pennsylvania state court and the New York state court. Among the charges, Mangione was charged with a count of using a firearm to commit murder and stalking, as well as charges that branded him as a terrorist.
In many people’s eyes, the only real difference between Thompson and the common man is that Thompson was a rich CEO. Many people online seem to agree that Thompson is just a man; and that nothing special should come out of his death.
Events such as school shootings have quadrupled over the past 53 years. Many schools are putting in safety measures to keep kids and staff safe from any harm. Kids are learning at extremely young ages how to hide from an active shooter. Despite all this, many people feel that nobody is doing much to help the children from dying in a place that is supposed to be for learning. Many people seem to feel that the government cares more about one man than hundreds of children.
It doesn’t help Thompson’s case that insurance companies seem to have a tendency to rip people off. Some people believe that Thompson deserved it and that if there are any deaths to call attention to, it’s the people that died because they couldn’t get basic healthcare necessities, despite paying for insurance.
The charges against Mangione only seem to add to people’s anger at the situation, especially since Mangione may be considered a terrorist. Many people bring light to the fact that everyday people are killed, and their deaths won’t ever get seen as anything to worry about, let alone be labeled as acts of terrorism. For many, it comes off as unfair that so many people die every day. Yet, only one death is seen as important enough to be considered a terroristic threat, especially when Thompson can be blamed for indirectly killing millions.
Mangione was an inspiration to many. On the bullets used to kill Thompson, the words “Delay, Deny, Dispose were engraved.” The words are meant to symbolize how insurance gets around giving people what they need. Insurers delay payment, deny claims, and defend their actions.
When Briana Boston, a mother of three, called an insurance company because they denied her insurance claims, she stated, “Delay, Deny, Depose. You people are next.” This statement got her arrested for threats of terrorism, and she could be facing up to 15 years in prison.
Protests only rose after Boston’s arrest. People feel that she did nothing wrong, and could be facing over a decade away from her family for no reason. Many are blaming her arrest on the sole fact that insurers don’t feel safe anymore after Thompson’s death and that they know that they are just as easy of a target.
The message Mangione wanted to get out to the world came across clearly. It’s difficult to deny what Mangione wanted to, and succeed, at proving. The reaction to Thompson’s death seems to show just how everyone feels regarding insurance companies. Mangione left people wondering how much life is worth to the ruling class if it is attributed to money. Magione left everyone wondering who really has the right to life.
