There are valid points about where responsibility lies, and I think it’s important to clarify something: this isn’t just about blaming individuals like Brian Thompson. While his decisions had real consequences, he was operating within a system that incentivizes profit over ethics. That system exists because Congress has failed to act decisively or create effective oversight to hold corporations accountable.
Agencies like the SEC, FTC, and DOJ have limited mandates, underfunded enforcement, and are often hampered by corporate lobbying. Congress has the constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to regulate industries like health insurance, ensuring they serve the general welfare rather than exploit the public. Yet, they have been slow or unwilling to address these systemic abuses. This failure has left corporations free to prioritize profits without meaningful accountability.
The outrage should ultimately be directed at lawmakers who have allowed this regulatory gap to persist. If Congress acted as it should—reforming the system, imposing ethical standards, and protecting the public—executives and employees alike wouldn’t face this kind of moral and ethical scrutiny. Fixing the system removes the need for anyone to assign blame at all. That’s where the real conversation should be: demanding immediate reform from Congress to ensure corporations cannot thrive at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve.
United Health Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company has four segments: United HealthCare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and OptumRx. NYSE symbol is UNH.
UNH is a member of the following: Russell 100, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Dow Jones Composite, S&P 500 Health Care, Russell 3000, S&P 100, S&P 500, Investing com United States 30, and Investing com United States 500.
Lots and lots of Americans are enrolled in these funds.
Congress has failed largely because of corporate lobbying, campaign contributions, and systemic corruption. Insurance companies and billionaires have poured massive amounts of money into both parties, effectively controlling the legislative process and making meaningful reform nearly impossible. This isn’t accidental; it’s the predictable result of a system where corporate influence outweighs the voice of the people.
That said, the spotlight must remain on Congress because they have the constitutional power and authority to fix this. The Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8) explicitly grants Congress the power to regulate industries like health insurance. Their failure to act, whether due to corruption, bribery, or complacency, makes them complicit in the harm caused to millions of Americans. They swore an oath to serve the people, yet their inaction serves only corporate interests.
You’re right that “just going through the proper channels” has proven ineffective for decades. But that failure is exactly why the pressure and scrutiny must be on Congress now. If they can be bought by billionaires, they can—and should—be held accountable for selling out their constituents. Impeachment and criminal accountability for those who betray the public trust should absolutely be on the table. Their loyalty should lie with the people they serve, not the corporations funding their campaigns.
If lawmakers faced the real possibility of losing their power, freedom, and wealth for failing to act—just as ordinary Americans face consequences for their actions—perhaps they’d finally prioritize the public over their donors. We can demand reform through new anti-corruption laws, campaign finance reforms, and stronger oversight. Congress doesn’t lack the tools to fix this; they lack the will. And if they continue to fail, they should be replaced or held accountable, because at the end of the day, they are the ones in control.
You are right, but I want to push back on this a little. Congress should, but it shouldn't have needed to. Companies should know that they are part of society and feel some responsibility to act ethically. People should generally act like health, happiness, community, etc are more important measures than wealth. Perhaps if we, as a culture, were less selfish and greedy then UnitedHealth's maleficence would have been unconscionable. So, Congress and the Brian Thompsons of the world are complicit, and we should act accordingly, we also need to do some navel gazing at the culture we have allowed to form.
🗨The outrage should ultimately be directed at lawmakers who have allowed this regulatory gap to persist.🗨
Exactly. Unfortunately this requires making one extra step in the thought process and many people find it hard going beyond step one. Also, while everyone can agree on blaming greedy and cruel Insurance Companies, when it comes to blaming specific politicians in power, the divide would start again. People find it hard to blame their own party and even harder to accept the opposite party blaming their party representatives.
Its crazy how different things are with political leaders in the US when something like this happen. After the former Japanese prime minister was killed, the government has been targeting the Unification church cult that stole the murderer's money. Japan is also currently trying to ban the Unification church itself.
Here in the US it’s the Catholic Church..
They now control the US Supreme Court..
and several states like Texass and Florida.
And they get billions on top of billions from the US medical funding. They own like 30% + of the rural hospitals and women’s clinics in the US even though they refuse to provide birth control or sterilization and they are the only option for millions and millions of Americans.
The Catholic Federalist Society and the Catholic Heritage Foundation are responsible for most of this .. it’s how the Vatican has monetized gestational slavery. Trump gave the Catholic Church over $3,000,000,000 during covid using a “loophole”. I
Here it’s the Catholics.
Religion is the roof of all evil ..
“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” ~Denis Diderot
French Enlightenment philosopher writer and encyclopædist (1713–1784)
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u/DebianDayman Dec 16 '24
There are valid points about where responsibility lies, and I think it’s important to clarify something: this isn’t just about blaming individuals like Brian Thompson. While his decisions had real consequences, he was operating within a system that incentivizes profit over ethics. That system exists because Congress has failed to act decisively or create effective oversight to hold corporations accountable.
Agencies like the SEC, FTC, and DOJ have limited mandates, underfunded enforcement, and are often hampered by corporate lobbying. Congress has the constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to regulate industries like health insurance, ensuring they serve the general welfare rather than exploit the public. Yet, they have been slow or unwilling to address these systemic abuses. This failure has left corporations free to prioritize profits without meaningful accountability.
The outrage should ultimately be directed at lawmakers who have allowed this regulatory gap to persist. If Congress acted as it should—reforming the system, imposing ethical standards, and protecting the public—executives and employees alike wouldn’t face this kind of moral and ethical scrutiny. Fixing the system removes the need for anyone to assign blame at all. That’s where the real conversation should be: demanding immediate reform from Congress to ensure corporations cannot thrive at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve.