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By now, it is clear that Luigi Mangione, the young man who allegedly killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was not an impoverished victim of a harsh capitalist system. It’s possible he had mental health issues. It is almost certain he suffered from chronic pain.

But his alleged actions were not the logical outcome of being denied health care, although that’s what many on the left are claiming. No further proof of this is needed now that it is being reported that Mangione was never covered by United Healthcare.

Whatever Mangione’s alleged motives, one thing is clear: Thompson did not deserve to die. To paint Thompson, the victim of this crime, as the villain demonstrates not only a break from reality but an extreme willingness by some on the left to twist a narrative to further their agenda.

Although it has become apparent that Mangione was neither a personal victim of Thompson nor of the U.S. health-care system (his family has more money than God), it has led to a chorus of leftist leaders throwing up their hands and saying, “See, this is what happens when you have private insurers in charge.”

What they fail to recognize is that if the government ran health care, which is what they want, the government would be deciding who gets access to care. As much as I detest politicians, I would never advocate shooting one of them.

Leaders such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. are playing a dangerous game. Warren claimed Thompson’s murder should serve as a warning “to everyone in the health-care system” that “people can be pushed only so far.” She later attempted to walk back the comments, telling Politico, “Violence is never the answer.”

Ocasio-Cortez made an even more ridiculous statement, claiming that denying health insurance claims could be perceived as an act of violence.

By making comments that attempt to justify violence while claiming they don’t advocate it, Warren and Ocasio-Cortez are employing the rhetorical standards of kindergartners. In the real world, “He started it,” or “She is a booger,” are not acceptable arguments. I don’t think representatives of the American people should be allowed to use this infantile level of reasoning without being called on it.

Their comments also fail to recognize that in countries where the government runs health care, people are routinely denied treatment. 

In April 2024, a group of women painted their bodies pink and stood outside the United Kingdom’s Houses of Parliament. They were protesting that the government-run health service was refusing to cover the cost of Enhertu. That drug could give terminally ill patients with a subtype of incurable breast cancer an additional six months of life. The 31 protestors represented the 31 women across the U.K. who die from advanced breast cancer every day.

A 2024 study by the Fraser Institute found that Canadians wait an average of 30 weeks for treatment. In Europe, where government-run healthcare is the norm, there are huge inequities among the citizens of different countries in when they can access new cancer treatments. In other words, substituting one set of bureaucrats for another does not mean everyone gets what he needs.

Innovation in the field of medicine is constant. Doctors will always be eager to try out new medical protocols. Administrators will always be anxious to keep costs down.

This is true no matter who is running the system. Warren, Ocasio-Cortez, and others like them are not helping their constituents when they claim otherwise. They are simply making fools of themselves.

Amanda Parry is a former newspaper reporter and the mother of two amazing special-needs children. Her work has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Scary Mommy, and Real Clear Politics.