Taylor Lorenz slams health insurance industry, says it's no 'wonder why we want these executives dead' after UnitedHealthcare CEO murder

Ex-Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz, in the aftermath of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, criticized the healthcare industry, saying that it's a "broken system," and said that it was no "wonder why we want these executives dead." 

In a post on Bluesky, Lorenz wrote in light of Thompson's death, "And people wonder why we want these executives dead," in response to Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance no longer covering anesthesia for the full duration of some surgical procedures.

 

Lorenz then posted a picture of Blue Cross Blue Shield's CEO, Kim Keck, all after the murder of Thompson. In addition to the post about Keck, Lorenz then shared a post from another user on Bluesky that stated, "Hypothetically, would it be considered an actionable threat to start emailing other insurance CEOs a simple 'you're next'? completely unrelated to current events btw."




Later on, after getting significant backlash to her post, Lorenz appeared to justify what she said, adding, "People have very justified hatred toward insurance company CEOs because these executives are responsible for an unfathomable amount of death and suffering. As someone against death and suffering, I think it's good to call out this broken system and the ppl in power who enable it."

She later clarified her comments, saying that she was not calling for the death of more health insurance CEOs in an interview with TMZ, and advocated for a non-violent letter campaign. 

Thompson was fatally shot on Wednesday in Manhattan in the early hours of the morning in what has been reported as a targeted attack against him. He was struck in the chest and later pronounced dead at the hospital. As of Thursday morning, the suspect was still at large, per CNN.

The United Healthcare CEO had been walking toward a hotel that was hosting an investment conference. The suspect was described as a white male that had a black mask covering his face. During the shooting, he had a cream-colored jacket and wore white and black shoes. He shot Thompson multiple times before the CEO hit the pavement.