Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Sunday he was “surprised” by the outpouring of online criticism following the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in what police described as an apparently premeditated attack. “I haven't.”
“Well, first of all, it was really scary. I mean, this is a father of two children, and my condolences go out to the entire family. There is no justification for violence.” In an interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC News' “This Week,” when asked if she was surprised by the abuse, Khanna said:
“But I wasn't surprised by the outpouring that followed,” Khanna added.
Thompson's death sparked a surge in public accounts of negative experiences with health insurance companies and denied claims. Some people mourned his death in the comment sections of some news reports.
Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the executive's murder, and the search for suspects continues. However, police recovered three projectile casings from the scene with the words “Reject”, “Defense” and “Expulsion” written on them.
According to new york postthese three words are similar to the title of my 2010 book, “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.”
In an interview, Khanna spoke about his negative experience with the company.
“Look, as a member of Congress, I got United Healthcare to refuse to prescribe a $100 nasal pump spray, and I couldn't get that overturned. Imagine if there was,” Khanna said. “The biggest denial happens when it comes to cancer treatment: people are being denied cancer treatment.”
