"What we’re called to ask is why the murder of one man must be described as unspeakable violence, but the systemic denial of life to 100,000 people is an acceptable business practice."
They secretly know they can get away with this because capitalism is not just an economic system, it’s also a social imaginary.
It has shaped what we expect of the world, including training us that we shouldn’t expect anything better from corporations, because “they’re just doing their job protecting shareholder interests”.
Brilliantly stated. Let us not stop being angry. The system has failed all patients and medical personnel. There's no excuse. Bankrupt United Healthcare with lawsuits from every single person denied coverage by an AI system they KNEW was deeply flawed.
And then go after every other insurance company...the very idea of telling doctors how long a surgery and anaesthesia should take is an abomination.
The US is the only advanced country in the world that does not have some form of Universal "affordable" healthcare for all its citizens. The argument many of us have heard incessantly for decades now, that privatization leads to the "best" results, could not be more faulty when it comes to insurance for US healthcare. Instead of a single payer non-privatized system that all the other countries enact for their citizens, the US has a rigged, corporate system where huge profits are siphoned off the failing health of millions of Americans each year. This system is immoral, more expensive than all other healthcare systems in other countries, and leads to the worst health outcomes for the majority of Americans. It is a metastasized cancer within American society and yet another sign of a corrupt and dying empire, that can no longer maintain the health of its own citizens.
I’ve argued with SO MANY Americans about this! They never see what’s coming… I show them that we spend about half as much on the level of the whole economy, have longer life expectancy, and access is better*, complications rates are better, you can’t easily lose your national social security (have to leave our country for a different country where you’ll have their social security system).
* better access: it’s true that for non-acute cases, you have to wait for access to a specialist or buy that service from the private market. That’s because we weigh the total costs and benefits and for the population as a a whole, it’s better use of the resources to do it this way.
I would gladly do work in preventive care, that’s even a good economic use of the resources, but… the people most likely to fall ill are the ones least benefitting from preventive care.
This is a thoughtful take, especially considering how recently this news broke. Yesterday I was also thinking about the Nuremberg defense, and the way responsibility for horrible acts can be evaded so long as there are some levels of bureaucracy between the decision-maker and the implementer of the decision. In fact, it provides handy defense on both ends: the decision-maker says "I didn't kill anyone, I was just sitting in my office" and the executioner says "I was just following orders, I had no choice." This dynamic can play out in a concentration camp or a health insurance office tower.
Another angle on this is the one of ethics. What the insurance companies do is not illegal, because the laws are structured to allow it. But it is, by many people's standards, unethical. Worrying about ethics is out of favour these days, something only suckers worry about, but it shouldn't be. Just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean you should. And just because you get away with it doesn't mean you are free from valid criticism of your actions, or that you can also demand others to respect you.
I know others in positions similar to this man are calling for reviews of their security teams, but I wonder, are they also having internal reviews with their own consciences? I doubt it, but I can dream.
Overall, it's probably a good idea to live your life in such a way that if you die suddenly today, millions of regular and decent people will not spontaneously unite to mock and celebrate your demise.
"Overall, it's probably a good idea to live your life in such a way that if you die suddenly today, millions of regular and decent people will not spontaneously unite to mock and celebrate your demise."
"What the insurance companies do is not illegal, because the laws are structured to allow it. But it is, by many people's standards, unethical."
Absolutely. Makes me think of that excellent Existential Comics strip about Simone Weil in Ethics 101 about judging those who stole bread, but not the system that protected the companies hoarding it.
Yeah, the whole “but it’s legal” thing is a major part of the problem. Slavery was legal, because the white folks in power said so. Robbing indigenous peoples of their land was legal because the white folks in power said so. Raping one’s wife was, for years, legal, because the white men in charge said so. Israel and the U.S. have given the lie to whatever “the law” might once have meant, but if one looks at the writing of people like Steve Newcomb (here on Substack) one will see that this problem goes back to the beginning of this country. The only laws I trust are physical: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This! For end-stage capitalists, greed is the only motivation, especially when they are so spiritually removed (mostly via tech) from the devastating human results of their decisions.
And the problem with big health care profits, insider trading, leading to working ppl having their pensions nicked while Brian and his pals sell their shares at "just the right moment"
Your thoughts are definitely in-network with mine here. I abhor violence but I don't understand why the blatant way some lives are promoted as more important, meaningful, and worthy of justice than others is a concept that deserves greater promotion than it already has.
Thousands of people die every year because of denied access to health care. But the death of a single person will dominate the news cycle. If only this tragedy would lead to a public discussion of the larger tragedy dominating our healthcare system.
Thank you JP. I have long advocated that when the revolution first comes it will find its most fertile ground in the people’s demand for universal health care. The health care industry is nearly 20% of the American economy! It is criminal that we have turned access to it wholly over to the protection racket of the corporate insurance mafia, gatekeepers who provide no service or value to the people whatsoever, but who charge us through the nose for our very lives. It is people’s exhibit #1 of the case for socialism. This is an insane system that brings onto stark relief the much greater insanity of capitalism, itself, in all its manifestations—a system that holds global life itself ransom to the infinitely concentrated accumulation of wealth into the tiny hands of the elite few who own the world. If only this were the spark that woke us up to the vulnerability of that elite, and the power of the rest of us! We are closer to the “radical reorganization of society itself” than we might think.
Perhaps this is the way the revolution begins. One oligarch at a time. It will get messy from here on because this assassination/execution will lead to politicians and police forces putting extra effort into protecting those who own them and that means more oppression for the vast majority. It's good that whoever did this left the message on the shell casings so we know this is not just another deranged killer.
Universal single-payer health insurance, particularly Improved Medicare for All (free at point of service, no premiums or copays or coinsurance, simplified to one single plan for everyone that covers everything needed 100% from every provider including dental, vision, hearing), would certainly be a good beginning to put the health insurance mafia out of business. But what we really need is national health care that socializes all health care delivery, including hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical manufacture and distribution, medical equipment and supplies, research and development—everything. Health care should not be a profit-making business.
I think all of this will get WAY WORSE over the years to come. There is no desire by those folks in the upper echelons to help the rest of us. You pay for insurance and you have to fight to get the bills paid. It’s disgusting.
Beautifully written, thank you for putting so many of our feelings into words. I doubly appreciate that I can save this post to refer back to when I feel myself getting heated debating with others about this 💜
Excellent article 👍 I'm not surprised by the responses to his death. I think that our citizens are waking up to the reality they're expendable. This man's death is helping them to see they're not alone. Psychologically it feels good to kick the body, stomp on it... Gang up mentality. Who can fault them? Their deepest pain has an outlet and target. Who ever this assassin is they're good at psychology. I personally think he's a professional. United healthcare has seriously legal issues and that effects profits. He was head of Medicare/Medicaid services before becoming CEO. I'm thinking it's an inhouse job. Anyway, he's Robin Hood to the people even if it's a cover-up diversion. As for the oppression of the people issue... My mind keeps going to the movie Elysium. We're headed into some very scary times my friend. Stay safe 🤗
"What we’re called to ask is why the murder of one man must be described as unspeakable violence, but the systemic denial of life to 100,000 people is an acceptable business practice."
^That's it. That's entirely it.
We're truly in the Bad Place.
They secretly know they can get away with this because capitalism is not just an economic system, it’s also a social imaginary.
It has shaped what we expect of the world, including training us that we shouldn’t expect anything better from corporations, because “they’re just doing their job protecting shareholder interests”.
https://open.substack.com/pub/theuntethereddilemma/p/mythic-truisms-and-the-marginalisation?r=1f7q2z&utm_medium=ios
Brilliantly stated. Let us not stop being angry. The system has failed all patients and medical personnel. There's no excuse. Bankrupt United Healthcare with lawsuits from every single person denied coverage by an AI system they KNEW was deeply flawed.
And then go after every other insurance company...the very idea of telling doctors how long a surgery and anaesthesia should take is an abomination.
Capitalism enforces itself with violence every fucking day.
The US is the only advanced country in the world that does not have some form of Universal "affordable" healthcare for all its citizens. The argument many of us have heard incessantly for decades now, that privatization leads to the "best" results, could not be more faulty when it comes to insurance for US healthcare. Instead of a single payer non-privatized system that all the other countries enact for their citizens, the US has a rigged, corporate system where huge profits are siphoned off the failing health of millions of Americans each year. This system is immoral, more expensive than all other healthcare systems in other countries, and leads to the worst health outcomes for the majority of Americans. It is a metastasized cancer within American society and yet another sign of a corrupt and dying empire, that can no longer maintain the health of its own citizens.
I’ve argued with SO MANY Americans about this! They never see what’s coming… I show them that we spend about half as much on the level of the whole economy, have longer life expectancy, and access is better*, complications rates are better, you can’t easily lose your national social security (have to leave our country for a different country where you’ll have their social security system).
* better access: it’s true that for non-acute cases, you have to wait for access to a specialist or buy that service from the private market. That’s because we weigh the total costs and benefits and for the population as a a whole, it’s better use of the resources to do it this way.
I would gladly do work in preventive care, that’s even a good economic use of the resources, but… the people most likely to fall ill are the ones least benefitting from preventive care.
Well said!! Agree 100%
100%
This is a thoughtful take, especially considering how recently this news broke. Yesterday I was also thinking about the Nuremberg defense, and the way responsibility for horrible acts can be evaded so long as there are some levels of bureaucracy between the decision-maker and the implementer of the decision. In fact, it provides handy defense on both ends: the decision-maker says "I didn't kill anyone, I was just sitting in my office" and the executioner says "I was just following orders, I had no choice." This dynamic can play out in a concentration camp or a health insurance office tower.
Another angle on this is the one of ethics. What the insurance companies do is not illegal, because the laws are structured to allow it. But it is, by many people's standards, unethical. Worrying about ethics is out of favour these days, something only suckers worry about, but it shouldn't be. Just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean you should. And just because you get away with it doesn't mean you are free from valid criticism of your actions, or that you can also demand others to respect you.
I know others in positions similar to this man are calling for reviews of their security teams, but I wonder, are they also having internal reviews with their own consciences? I doubt it, but I can dream.
Overall, it's probably a good idea to live your life in such a way that if you die suddenly today, millions of regular and decent people will not spontaneously unite to mock and celebrate your demise.
"Overall, it's probably a good idea to live your life in such a way that if you die suddenly today, millions of regular and decent people will not spontaneously unite to mock and celebrate your demise."
I love that! You are absolutely right.
"What the insurance companies do is not illegal, because the laws are structured to allow it. But it is, by many people's standards, unethical."
Absolutely. Makes me think of that excellent Existential Comics strip about Simone Weil in Ethics 101 about judging those who stole bread, but not the system that protected the companies hoarding it.
https://existentialcomics.com/comic/482
Yeah, the whole “but it’s legal” thing is a major part of the problem. Slavery was legal, because the white folks in power said so. Robbing indigenous peoples of their land was legal because the white folks in power said so. Raping one’s wife was, for years, legal, because the white men in charge said so. Israel and the U.S. have given the lie to whatever “the law” might once have meant, but if one looks at the writing of people like Steve Newcomb (here on Substack) one will see that this problem goes back to the beginning of this country. The only laws I trust are physical: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This! For end-stage capitalists, greed is the only motivation, especially when they are so spiritually removed (mostly via tech) from the devastating human results of their decisions.
And the problem with big health care profits, insider trading, leading to working ppl having their pensions nicked while Brian and his pals sell their shares at "just the right moment"
So many motives...
Your thoughts are definitely in-network with mine here. I abhor violence but I don't understand why the blatant way some lives are promoted as more important, meaningful, and worthy of justice than others is a concept that deserves greater promotion than it already has.
Self defense is not violence. Read that again.
You're right.
👍
Thousands of people die every year because of denied access to health care. But the death of a single person will dominate the news cycle. If only this tragedy would lead to a public discussion of the larger tragedy dominating our healthcare system.
Oh it’s being discussed…
Thank you JP. I have long advocated that when the revolution first comes it will find its most fertile ground in the people’s demand for universal health care. The health care industry is nearly 20% of the American economy! It is criminal that we have turned access to it wholly over to the protection racket of the corporate insurance mafia, gatekeepers who provide no service or value to the people whatsoever, but who charge us through the nose for our very lives. It is people’s exhibit #1 of the case for socialism. This is an insane system that brings onto stark relief the much greater insanity of capitalism, itself, in all its manifestations—a system that holds global life itself ransom to the infinitely concentrated accumulation of wealth into the tiny hands of the elite few who own the world. If only this were the spark that woke us up to the vulnerability of that elite, and the power of the rest of us! We are closer to the “radical reorganization of society itself” than we might think.
Healthcare is far better here in Australia, but I very much feel the same about access to affordable housing... it's getting wild.
Perhaps this is the way the revolution begins. One oligarch at a time. It will get messy from here on because this assassination/execution will lead to politicians and police forces putting extra effort into protecting those who own them and that means more oppression for the vast majority. It's good that whoever did this left the message on the shell casings so we know this is not just another deranged killer.
What a wonderful read. Thank you for the insight on this whole situation.
systemic violence is still violence! for profit healthcare is the worst kind of scam bc you can't really opt out...
We. need. national. health. insurance. Now.
Universal single-payer health insurance, particularly Improved Medicare for All (free at point of service, no premiums or copays or coinsurance, simplified to one single plan for everyone that covers everything needed 100% from every provider including dental, vision, hearing), would certainly be a good beginning to put the health insurance mafia out of business. But what we really need is national health care that socializes all health care delivery, including hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical manufacture and distribution, medical equipment and supplies, research and development—everything. Health care should not be a profit-making business.
I think all of this will get WAY WORSE over the years to come. There is no desire by those folks in the upper echelons to help the rest of us. You pay for insurance and you have to fight to get the bills paid. It’s disgusting.
Beautifully written, thank you for putting so many of our feelings into words. I doubly appreciate that I can save this post to refer back to when I feel myself getting heated debating with others about this 💜
Excellent article 👍 I'm not surprised by the responses to his death. I think that our citizens are waking up to the reality they're expendable. This man's death is helping them to see they're not alone. Psychologically it feels good to kick the body, stomp on it... Gang up mentality. Who can fault them? Their deepest pain has an outlet and target. Who ever this assassin is they're good at psychology. I personally think he's a professional. United healthcare has seriously legal issues and that effects profits. He was head of Medicare/Medicaid services before becoming CEO. I'm thinking it's an inhouse job. Anyway, he's Robin Hood to the people even if it's a cover-up diversion. As for the oppression of the people issue... My mind keeps going to the movie Elysium. We're headed into some very scary times my friend. Stay safe 🤗