Amid the hypothesis that Luigi Mangione may have murdered Brian Thompson, driven by the trauma of a recent back surgery, Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, admitted that the healthcare system in the United States is “flawed” and needs improvement.
Witty's statement was in an article published this Friday in the New York Times, in which he expressed that the healthcare system "does not work as well as it should."
“We know that the healthcare system doesn't work as well as it should, and we understand people's frustrations. Nobody would design a system like the one we have, and nobody did. It's a mosaic built over decades,” wrote Witty in the article titled ‘The Health Care System Is Flawed. Let's Fix It’, as reported by New York Post.
The text is a reaction to the debate that users are having on social media, as some defend Magione for his trauma while others condemn him.
However, it is noteworthy that the young person was not insured by UnitedHealthcare.
UnitedHealthcare director regrets threats to its employees
In his article, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, which stands out as the largest health insurer in the United States, lamented that their workers are receiving threats and that Brian Thompson has been a victim of this.
“Although the healthcare system is not perfect, every corner is filled with people trying their best for those they serve… Brian was one of those people. He pushed us to build dedicated teams to help the sickest individuals navigate the healthcare system,” she said.
He continued by saying, "That is why (Brian) fought for preventive healthcare and quality health outcomes instead of just adding more and more tests and procedures. He believed that healthcare decisions should start with individual plans and advocated for where consumers could see costs and coverage options upfront, so they could decide what is best for themselves and their families."
Luigi Mangione and the version about his back pain
Luigi Mangione had back surgery in 2023. Four large screws were placed in his lower back, and supposedly, he has been suffering from chronic pain ever since.
RJ Martin, a friend and former roommate in Hawaii, told CNN that Mangione had previously talked about his back problems. "I remember he said he had a back problem, and he was hoping to strengthen himself in Hawaii," he said.
According to The Post, Martin reported that Luigi Mangione's back problems were so "traumatic and difficult" that a basic surfing lesson left him bedridden for a week. The pain from the apparent nerve pressure even prevented him from being intimate.
“I knew that going out and being physically intimate with his back condition was not possible... I remember him telling me that, and my heart just breaks,” Martin revealed to the quoted outlet.