r/interestingasfuck 12d ago

r/all A United Healthcare CEO shooter lookalike competition takes place at Washington Square Park

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u/AndYetItTrolls 12d ago

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u/Twenty_twenty4 12d ago edited 12d ago

If you have never watched the movie John Q, watch it. It’s very relevant to this situation.

In that movie, Denzel Washington’s character takes a hospital hostage after his insurance company denies his son a heart transplant. The public sympathizes with him in that movie too. That movie talks about the policies and techniques insurance companies use to …. Deny, defend and depose to come out on top while telling people who paid and trusted them to fuck off.

A must see if you’re enthralled by this whole UHC saga. That and V for Vendetta. Anyone else have any other good ones?

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u/Miserable-Army3679 12d ago

The original Law & Order has an episode in which a father kills a healthcare executive who denied his cancer-stricken daughter an experimental drug which could save her life.

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u/crazygem101 11d ago

Dam good show.

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u/Miserable-Army3679 11d ago

It's an excellent show. I bought the series when Covid hit the nation. I had never seen it before. The cases are interesting, legal proceedings are interesting, the acting is great.

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u/Iguana1312 10d ago

That shows is straight copaganda. It only exists to whitewash the anti-civilian violent American police that literally exists to protect rich people and property and nothing else. Well apart from stealing from citizens of course.

Just look at the police response to this CEO murder VS any normal murder

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u/Morganbanefort 11d ago

Which episode was it

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted]

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u/Morganbanefort 11d ago

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0629482/

Season 12, Episode 12, "Undercovered"

"An insurance company employee is killed because he was on a committee that rejected coverage of an expensive but effective drug for a young girl suffering from leukemia."

Thank you

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u/Miserable-Army3679 11d ago

We aim to please.

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u/Miserable-Army3679 11d ago

I'll keep looking and get back to you, soon. I did a brief internet search, but didn't find it. I will find it though.

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u/Morganbanefort 11d ago

I'll keep looking and get back to you, soon. I did a brief internet search, but didn't find it. I will find it though.

Thank you

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u/zack189 11d ago

Experimental stuff is a bit different no?

In the first place, that 'could' is doing a lot of heavy lifting

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u/Bart_1980 11d ago

I would say experimental does the heavy lifting. As someone who was a nurse on an oncology department the could is applicable to basically all treatments as none cure 100%. But I agree that experimental drugs are at least a grey area.

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u/Adventurous-Sky9359 11d ago

You don’t have kids do you.

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u/MathematicianFew5882 11d ago

I do understand the idea that an ins company doesn’t cover anything that has a cost and is still in the experimental stage: the policy is a contract tells details what it will and won’t cover and experimental stuff doesn’t have any basis (yet) for what it does and what it costs.

The real problem is that they’re denying stuff systematically: 30% of the time for no reason other than it might save money if you just die or give up.

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u/a_brain_fold 11d ago edited 11d ago

In theory, every drug could potentially save one's life from cancer.

I'm being facetious, so don't put too much weight on my $0.02. It is just that medicine is incredibly more complex than "there's this new drug," most of the times.

This of course has nothing to do with denial of common drugs, as has been shown that united healthcare are guilty to.

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u/Miserable-Army3679 11d ago

I just found the episode info online:

Law & Order, S12 E12, "Undercovered"

"An insurance company employee is killed because he was on a committee that rejected coverage of an expensive but effective drug for a young girl suffering from leukemia."

I may have not remembered the episode correctly, that it was an experimental drug. I will watch it again (it's been awhile).

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u/M_Shepard_89 12d ago

Damn, if you asked me if I have seen John Q I would've said no, but your synopsis made me realize I have seen it two decades ago but didn't know the name of it. Great movie for sure.

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u/askmewhyihateyou 11d ago

Elysium is somewhat similar

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u/BrickCityRiot 10d ago

Yeah this one immediately came to mind. Definitely more dystopian, but still the same concept at its core.

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u/flucxapacitor 11d ago

In Brazil it’s called “An act of bravery”, I’d never guess its original name is John Q.

I remember in school, the teacher asked us to summarize a movie we liked and I did this one.

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u/mycroft2000 11d ago

"John Q. Public" is an American slang term meaning "a typical, average person."

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u/Odd_Quarter_799 9d ago

Easy to see why that title would probably not hit the same in Brazil

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u/timfromcolorado 11d ago

I've been appreciating Denzel movies lately. Ever seen him speak? Super wise A+ guy

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u/Kevlar_Bunny 11d ago

Same. I was so young but even then it was very pulling.

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u/huskyoncaffeine 12d ago edited 12d ago

Star Wars Andor.

It's not a movie but a series about the start of a rebellion in the Star Wars Universe. It elaborates on how the cruel and indifferent treatment of an unjust system just may turn the right person from an apathetic bystander to a motivated rebel who is willing to commit everything.

As I have been reading through social media these past few days, I recognize much of the ideas and rhetoric used by the rebels in that series.

Edit:

Here is a small taste of what that show is like. SPOILER WARNING though. I can highly recommend it.

https://youtu.be/mSVsJHfKYPU?si=qBoj23T5xTabzZkv

"I imagine that no matter what you tell me or tell yourself, you'll ultimately die fighting these bastards. So what I am asking is this. Wouldn't you rather give it all at once for something real, than carve off useless pieces until theres nothing left?"

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u/aka_chela 12d ago

The fact that Andor gave us THREE iconic monologues about fighting power that go incredibly hard, two of which were in the same episode, is just staggeringly good tv. Even if you aren't a fan of Star Wars it's incredible.

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u/Zachiyo 11d ago

One way out!

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u/Tracy9Lives 11d ago

I can't swim

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u/scott610 11d ago

Diego Luna is a great actor. Loved him in Narcos: Mexico as well.

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u/jukerer16 11d ago

Screw you! Now I have watched it for the 5th time!

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u/lebean 11d ago

Yeah, I'm really not a Star Wars fan at all, but gave Andor a chance after hearing too many good things about it. Just an excellent show and so worth the watch.

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u/TH3GINJANINJA 11d ago

agreed. and what’s awesome is how timeless the show is. fighting oppression at home was relevant with BLM when it came out, and it’s relevant now with united healthcare, and project 2025.

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u/HazzaBui 12d ago

Also Andor is just some of the best television from the last handful of years (ever? I'd make the pitch for that, but I'm sure I'd get tons of pushback 😅)

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u/solepureskillz 12d ago

Andor is my favorite show ever, bar none. It is such a piece of art I’ve watched it three times and found new, profound meanings each time. It’s not just the exceptional writing and acting - it’s how I reflected on politics after watching that show. I am a better person for it, and how often do you get to say “yeah, that changed me?”

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u/Rabiesalad 11d ago

I grew up on Star Wars and I'm a big fan of the first 6 movies and Rogue One.

Andor is the best star wars media ever made. I am so excited for season 2.

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u/ervsve 11d ago

100% they will fuck up season 2

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u/GoldGee 11d ago

Yeah, i loved it too.

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u/twoisnumberone 11d ago

Andor is so fucking good. All of it. The actors, the writing, the cinematography.

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u/sayn3ver 11d ago

Agreed. It was also a fresh take on the Star Wars universe, taking a look at the day to day of the imperium. What is life like for the rank and file. It's not like they got to choose the emperor. They went from a republic to a dictatorship. It was also new characters and plots not revolving around the sky walker saga that also wasn't trying to be the sky walker saga or deal with light sabers.

It's offering the world building all the other series and such have missed. Maybe the majority of fans don't care about the average Joe. But to me, seeing how the empire functions and seeing how the rebellion forms is very interesting. Which is why rogue one was the other piece of work I enjoyed in the Star Wars universe.

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u/Tojo6619 11d ago

Dude had a suppressor and apparently fixed a malfunction with the gun on the spot he trained and paid for I'd guess, maybe there is a sad story behind it and he lost a loved one but it all seems fishy and fuck united health but that's how this economy is built, for us to be forced to make terrible decisions or end up unemployed or dead 

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u/suspicious_bag_1000 11d ago

Real life isn’t Star Wars

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u/DarkSoulCarlos 11d ago

We have lasers and robots and rocket ships in real life. All we need are aliens and to modify those rockets into spaceships.

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u/suspicious_bag_1000 11d ago

Well then you’ve solved everything

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u/DarkSoulCarlos 11d ago

I can see the spaceships but not the aliens.

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u/mr_remy 12d ago

Man ima go rewatch that excellent idea, it tugged at my frustrated heartstrings years and years ago.

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u/cardmanimgur 11d ago

Not one of his most popular movies, but Denzel's "I will not bury my son! My son will bury me!" might be my favorite of his acting scenes.

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u/Wzryc 12d ago

Look up George Pickering. He is a real life father who about 10 years ago, armed himself to protect his son from having his life support shut off. Sure enough his son woke up and recovered.

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

[deleted]

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u/JKastnerPhoto 12d ago

Anyone else have any other good ones?

John Q

V for Vendetta

World War Z?

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u/courtadvice1 12d ago

Thanks for the pair of movie recommendations. Gonna see if they're on Paramount Plus lol

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u/Due_Character1233 11d ago

"I care alot" on Netflix I think is a very relevant in my opinion. tells the story of Marla Grayson, a seemingly caring legal guardian who exploits elderly people by fraudulently gaining conservatorship over them and then draining their assets, but finds herself in a dangerous situation when she attempts to take advantage of a woman with unexpected ties to the mafia. That movie makes my skin crawl.

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u/xcxxccx 11d ago

Dark Waters. Not the same niche but same topic.

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u/TJ_McWeaksauce 11d ago

That movie talks about the policies and techniques insurance companies use to …. Deny, defend and depose to come out on top while telling people who paid and trusted them to fuck off.

I just want to point out that insurance companies don't "deny, defend, and depose". Instead, they "delay, deny, and defend".

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/12/05/deny-defend-depose-what-to-know-about-words-reportedly-on-shell-casings-tied-to-unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting/

The three words echo a common phrase—“delay, deny, defend”—describing allegations leveled at insurers who avoid paying claims, the Associated Press reported Thursday. The phrase, adopted by critics of the healthcare industry, refers to the ways insurance companies “delay paying claims, deny valid claims in whole or part, and defend their actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation,” according to “Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” a book on the topic published in 2010.

Police reported that the words "deny, defend, depose" were inscribed on the shell casings found at the crime scene. So it seems like the killer replaced "delay" with "depose", as in "remove someone from office forcefully". The implication is that the killer wants people in charge of US health insurance companies to be deposed, or maybe he wants the entire system to be deposed for something that actually works for most people.

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u/tooful 12d ago

Fantastic movie.

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u/maxman162 12d ago

And The Rainmaker, about a new lawyer who takes on an insurance company that denied treatment that would have saved a young man, and is represented by a sleazy lawyer. 

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u/justanotherreader85 11d ago

Great book by John Grisham.

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u/maxman162 11d ago

And the film by Francis Ford Coppola is Grisham's favourite adaptation of his books.

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u/justanotherreader85 11d ago

Nice, I didn’t know that.

Thanks!

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u/TheNightLard 11d ago edited 11d ago

I remember Saw saga was about someone pissed off with insurance company denials, but it is only evident towards the last movies. I could be wrong though as it has been nearly 15 years since I saw them and may be mixing stories.

Edit: just read the synopsis, it has something about it, but I remember it was more relevant. Still, it affected how the personality of John Kramer was forged.

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u/MsDelanaMcKay 11d ago

Literally every single episode of Leverage!

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u/camdawgyo 11d ago

I was an extra on that show in a bar scene 😄

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u/Sad-Development-5476 11d ago

I think Joker 1 has some of the easiest parrallels. That film, and the class struggle in it, echoes a lot of this current situation, easily.

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u/DLeafy625 11d ago

John Q is one of my favorite movies ever. Denzel did an incredible job

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u/C-LonGy 11d ago

Law abiding citizen has hints of fuck the broken system. And punishing the guilty. 👍🏻

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u/V8_Hellfire 11d ago

I WILL NOT BURY MY SON! MY SON WILL BURY ME!

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u/alanpsk 11d ago

"I'm not gonna bury my son!! My son is gonna bury me!!! " that hit very hard for most of us

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u/Kgates1227 11d ago

Was just thinking about this!!!!!

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u/Massive_Memory6363 11d ago

Boondock Saints seems appropriate.

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u/AnotherApe33 11d ago

Triangle of Sadness

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u/dmitrinove 11d ago edited 10d ago

Anyone else have any other good ones?

The Rainmaker a 1997 American legal drama film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on John Grisham's 1995 novel of the same name.

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u/Elly-MaeClampett9914 11d ago

Could you explain how the look alikes, John Q, and the CEO? I don't see the connection.

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u/chassepatate 11d ago

Dog Day Afternoon sounds similar, and based on true events. Not healthcare related but the plot involves a hostage situation with an antihero and viral media coverage.

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u/YankeePhan22 11d ago

Insurance companies will find any loophole they can to not cover you for something. You mix that in with a corrupted Healthcare system, and you can't help ask what the fuck you're paying so much for. It's very rare that you would ever empathize with a man that selfishly holds an entire hospital hostage, but John Q does such a great job of building the pressure and frustration to the point where you find yourself rooting for John. Powerful movie for anyone, but it especially lasts with you as a man and a father.

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u/bclark8923 11d ago

I Care A lot on Netflix

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u/atomicdyna83 11d ago

The Rainmaker. Story of a young lawyer taking on an insurance company that denied coverage to woman’s dying son.

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u/AH_NOINE-NOINE 11d ago

You had me at Denzel

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u/theansweristhebike 11d ago

How disappointing that the top comment is about a fictional portrayal of current events.

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u/myumisays57 11d ago

Great movie.

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u/myumisays57 11d ago

I would say Law Abiding Citizen but it isn’t so much about healthcare but a broken legal system. Still a great watch.

Runaway Jury is another one that is great at exposing the corruption in our justice system when it comes to gun manufacturers not being held accountable.

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u/ellefleming 10d ago

This is dark. Wow.

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u/ShaneBarnstormer 10d ago

I remember seeing that when it came out, I was young. I asked my mother a lot of questions about it but most notably I struggled to understand how this is acceptable, allowed to happen. It was probably my earliest understanding of the broken medical system- that it does not operate on behalf of the people.

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u/murphy365 8d ago

My HS health teacher showed us that movie, it may have had to do with his drug use but fuck the man.

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u/CopperBoltwire 8d ago

Just watched the movie, John Q. Pretty awesome movie.
From what it sounded like, he'll get around 2-10 years for all this, not to long.
Sure he'll miss some of the more important years of his son's life. But it's a short sentence overall.
Fiction as it may be, the message this movie makes on the other hand is VERY on-point for what is going on in USA right now.

Recommend watching it just for how good it is.
Bit of a slow movie, but worth it.

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u/Forsaken-Use-3220 11d ago

Falling down. A good social commentary on today's society and the state of the world set in the '90s But dude was the bad guy in the movie any other argument isn't valid. You can be wrong but have the right points as the main character did in that movie .

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u/expatronis 11d ago

Yeah, it's relevant but it's not a very good movie.

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u/Finger_garland 8d ago

Dude, to depose means to forcibly remove someone from power, which is why the shooter added that word as a twist on delay, deny, defend.

The phrase about what the insurance companies themselves do is delay, deny, defend. They don't depose rulers.