Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) blasted the "vile" health care system in response to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, saying the public’s "visceral" reaction "should be a warning" to everyone in the industry.
"The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system," Warren told HuffPost when asked about the numerous posts on social media celebrating Thompson’s death.
"This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in the ability of their government to make change, lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone," Warren added.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) also condemned the health care system in response to Thompson’s death.
"I think what the outpouring of anger at the health care industry tells us is that millions of people understand that health care is a human right and that you cannot have people in the insurance industry rejecting needed health care for people while they make billions of dollars in profit," Sanders told HuffPost.
Both senators have long criticized the U.S. health care system and are strong supporters of socialized medicine proposals like Medicare for All.
While the motives of Thompson’s assassin remain unknown, the bullets found at the scene appeared to have the words "deny," "depose," and "defend" written on them, a message that mirrors the title of a book that denounces the health care insurance industry, the New York Post reported.
The shooting sparked a wave of posts on social media criticizing health insurance providers, with many commenters saying, "thoughts and prayers are out of network," HuffPost reported.
Luigi Mangione, who was arrested Monday and charged in connection with Thompson's death, had subscribed to anticapitalist and climate-change causes and liked online quotes from "Unabomber’’ Ted Kaczynski ranting against the U.S. health care system, according to law enforcement officials, citing his online activity.