U.S. Healthcare Advice from Hamas

The recent murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York unleashed an unseemly outpouring of hate towards both him and his industry. Snarky comments are making the rounds on social media, such as that his final medical bills won’t be covered because he was taken to an emergency room out of network and he hadn’t received prior authorization before getting shot. Some have even gone so far as to justify or praise the gunman.

Assuming that the motive in the shooting was anger over United Healthcare’s policies (that’s still not proven), the rationale for these callous reactions seems to go something like this: Of course murder is wrong, but this murder has to be understood in context. Thompson’s company routinely denies countless people’s claims for vital medical care, also causing death and suffering. Something had to be done to call attention and bring change to this situation, and if a shocking act of violence is the only way to do so then so be it. If the man who shot Thompson ought to be punished for this crime, then Thompson and his colleagues should be held accountable and punished for theirs also.

Rather than debate this logic on its merits, let’s instead examine a recent example in which this same reasoning was applied. As is well known, last October 7^th Hamas perpetrated mass atrocities against Israel, killing over a thousand people and taking hundreds more hostage. Hamas and its sympathizers try to justify this by saying that yes, those actions would ordinarily be wrong and violate international law. But October 7^th must be understood in the context of Israel’s numerous violations of Palestinian rights. Peaceful means were failing to address the Palestinians’ grievances, so such violence was the only way. If Hamas is to be blamed and held accountable for its crimes, first Israel and its leaders should be punished for their years of crimes against Palestinians too.

Whether or not this makes sense, take a look at how it has worked out. By now Gaza is in such ruins that there are even allegations of genocide. Israel has even been able to turn around and use this same logic to justify its own actions. It might ordinarily be wrong to use weapons or tactics that cause extreme destruction in urban areas, but in the context of defending itself against a group that committed such heinous atrocities as Oct. 7^th it is reasonable. This has in turn earned Israel worldwide condemnation and gotten it in trouble with international courts.

Let’s learn from this that declaring a cause so righteous that it justifies trampling legal norms simply doesn’t work. The long-lasting effect of Thompson’s murder is not going to be reform of the health care system, lowering of deductibles, or changes in how claims are evaluated. Instead, it will simply be bodyguards for executives and more security at insurance company offices. It’s entirely possible they’ll even pass along the bill for this in the form of even higher premiums.

Long term, sustainable change only comes by generating broad-based, grassroots support. Violence does the opposite. It polarizes and frightens, and any concessions made in response to violent threats will be resented, rescinded, and perhaps even avenged as soon as the opportunity arises. As the saying goes, there is no way towards peace- peace is the way.