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The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson appeared pre-meditated and meticulously planned, with police officials calling it a "targeted shooting." Furthermore, the shooter used a suppressed handgun (not likely suggestive of a crime of passion) and found at the scene of the crime. The casings had the words "deny," "depose," and "defend" written on them.

Thompson had been receiving death threats, according to his widow. Here's a summary of the story.

UnitedHealthcare is a vast corporation. As of 2023, its parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was among the in the world, and UnitedHealthcare was the in the U.S. by revenue. UnitedHealth Group is worth over $500 billion.

Anyone who deals with health insurance -- and basically we all do -- knows that it is expensive, difficult, and sometimes seems barely worth the cost when patients are faced with denial after denial, despite rising premiums.

None of us know why this murder happened. It's easy to assume that it had to do with claim denials or something else related to the industry. However, the evidence simply isn't there yet. We don't know the motive: it might have been personal, or random, or the act of a crazed individual. Time will hopefully tell.

But I know this:

• His wife is now a widow and his children fatherless.
• His killer is likely now consigned to life on the run, or to prison or death.

I also know this: "Thou shalt not murder."

There is no disclaimer or caveat for, "Yes, but he wasn't very nice." Or, "They caused my family difficulty." There is no excuse for, "I really disagree with his opinion and he has to be silenced." It just isn't there. It is not acceptable. And we have structured our collective morality, our very legal system, along those lines.

And yet, I keep seeing comments online intimating that maybe, just maybe, Thompson had it coming. You know, with denials and costs, and all the rest. Perhaps most disturbing to me is the fact that some of these are from physicians -- physicians who are supposed to be dedicated to the preservation of life and the cessation of suffering.

I understand the frustration with insurance companies. It impacts our patients, it impacts our livelihoods. But this is too far.

It's no surprise, of course. Some physicians were also vocal in their wish that the assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump had succeeded.

The law provides recourse for crimes and for civil litigation. Without the law, we are reduced to vengeance. For ages, that's how humans settled things -- with blood feuds.

The thing is, physicians can be implicated in suffering and loss as well. Our patients sometimes don't recover. Our patients die. Sometimes they die because of our action or inaction. How many family members of those we lose might feel justified in exacting revenge? We know it happens, but we are always shocked and dismayed when it does.

In the ancient past, even the law codified this sort of revenge. Hammurabi's Code, 218, : "If a physician performs an operation and kills someone or cuts out his eye, the doctor's hands shall be cut off."

I would caution my colleagues to dial back the rhetoric. It is our job to bring comfort and healing. It is our job to see everyone as deserving of our care.

It is certainly not our job to cheer murder.

A version of this piece originally appeared in the Substack, .

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