Leon County Commissioner for District 2 Christian Caban, who also serves as Vice-Chairman, penned a letter to Commissioner David O’Keefe addressing a controversial social media post by O’keefe related to the recent murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
Thompson was killed at close range in Manhattan by a lone gunman. Media reports indicated the bullet casings recovered at the scene were inscribed with the words “delay” and “deny,” a reference to an insurance company strategy used to minimize claim payouts.
Late on Wednesday, O’Keefe posted a story entitled “Social Media has Little Sympathy for Murdered Health Insurance Exec.”
O’Keefe posted the article with his own message, “posting without comment. Sincerely, – Adult child of parents who had medical debt bankruptcy.”
In the letter to O’Keefe (included below), Caban, while acknowledging issues with the healthcare system states, “However, as local leaders, we must also confront another crisis: the normalization of gun violence. Particularly when this is such a pressing systemic issue among our youth here in Leon County. While our personal histories shape our perspectives, they must not overshadow our responsibility to lead with principle and moral clarity. Any form of gun violence must be met with condemnation.”
Caban added, “As elected leaders, it is our duty to condemn gun violence in all its forms and at every opportunity. We must not let our focus on reform in one area distract from the urgent need to address this epidemic of violence that plagues our own neighborhoods.”
O’Keefe Defends Post
O’Keefe responded to Caban’s letter saying his “original personal Facebook post did not endorse gun violence” and urged Caban to call him to discuss any issues.
O’Keefe also responded to criticism about his post on Facebook.
O’Keefe wrote in one reply, “every person’s life is precious and deserves respect and dignity” and noted the article he posted reported on public reaction to “a violent murder of one man in NYC.”
O’Keefe also stated, “It’s worth understanding the reaction of the public to understand the impact health insurance practices have on the lives and deaths of thousands whose lives are also precious and worthwhile. Yet the coverage of that everyday mortality pales in comparison to coverage of one man’s tragic death.”
Commissioner Caban Letter to Commissioner O’Keefe
Commissioner O’Keefe Criticized Over Social Media Post Related to Health Care CEO Murder added by Steve Stewart on
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Thank you Proud Rural Redneck, Well said!!
@ Seemore ……… You think he’s better than this? This is the same guy who went to the new Police Station construction site that has a tall fence all around it with large “NO TRESPASSING” signs about every 20 feet and he climbed over it and got caught. His excuse was that there were no signs where he climbed over. The signs were over there and over there but not right here (same fence), Remember that?
” Posted on behalf of Someone who had a Medical Bankruptcy.” Commissioner Okeefe neglected the ” rest of the story” and did not comment on the Children and Spouse who lost their family member in a brutal murder. Murder is not the answer to medical bankruptcy. Commissioner Okeefe, you are better than this. I have met you and you are reasonably intelligent ( for a County Commissioner)
Thank you, Proud Rural Redneck, for laying out what all sane, intelligent, and reasonable people should see as self-evident. The cacophony of silence of the rest of the Board, apart perhaps from Comm’r Caban, can only suggest that they concur with Mr. O’Keefe’s sentiments. All of you should be ashamed of yourselves, stop drinking from the public trough, and get real jobs.
@Proud Rural Redneck:
Well, Government apparently has unlimited dollars to make the Ukrainian president/comedian’s life perfect… just sayin’.
But I agree with your main points.
DavidB, I am retired and I pay for Medicare and Private Health Insurance. When I was 17 I chose a career that would carry me and my wife through retirement.
Imagine living a life so repugnant that when you are murdered the natural reaction by most is, ‘could not have happened to a nicer guy’. The man had AI implemented to automatically reject claims, and his company rejected 2X the number of claims of the industry average. If the news media covered the death of every cancer patient this guys company rejected claims for, they’d need their own set of channels to run stories 24/7.
The private insurance system doesn’t want to pay for your medical bills. They want to make money. The best way to do that is to take your premiums, and then deny claims, which is exactly what this mans company was the best at doing. Meanwhile, the day after the execution, blue cross blue shield in Connecticut changed plans to stop paying for anesthesia after an arbitrary number of minutes, suddenly finding a change of heart.
OKeefe justified murder and Healthcare has zero relevance here. This issue is yet another reason to never vote for incumbents. Throw them all out.
Hey Redneck,
Whatcha gonna do when you want to retire and theirs no affordable healthcare, and Medicare is worthless? Work ’til you die? I’m not really keen on that.
@Proud Rural Redneck
You nailed it!
Liberals want you to believe Government has unlimited dollars to make each and everyone’s life perfect. Liberals want you to believe if you only vote for them every thing in your life will be perfect and you will want for nothing.
The shooting was a “hit”. Why a “contract” was put out on the CEO is yet to be determined. And I’ll bet a dollar the “hit man” will be located but I’m guessing he will be dead.
The USA is spending more money than it brings in. And retirees like me are sick and tired of spending thousands of dollars to pay our taxes. And the time is now for all Americans to realize the primary person responsible for your success in life is you.
Leon County Commission will tax you and use those funds to provide a life to too many people. Acknowledge the fact that too many people spend more effort to extort the “system” for free stuff than they will trying to make it on their own. And if those with health insurance haven’t realized by now that your entire life you have paid more for a doctor visit because of all the people your doctors had to treat for free.
Liberals have not only made living off free stuff lucrative, liberals have renamed those benefits so it doesn’t sound like a handout. Welfare is now Medicaid. Food Stamps are now EBT cards. And so on.
We have got to cut spending and lower the tax burden forced on successful people. But Liberals will never go that way.
My advice: stay out of trouble, take full advantage of the 13 years of free education, stop having unprotected sex, and look in the mirror when you need something
Do you have any idea how much hospitals and doctors pay for insurance. Healthcare is very expensive. Plan that when are thinking about you career or your Decision to have children. The taxpayers can no longer afford a free ride for those that made stupid mistakes. Grow up Leon Co Commission.
Healthcare isn’t a right. Go get a job and buy some healthcare insurance.
For the record… there’s no such thing as “gun violence”. Notwithstanding O’Keefe’s blatant ignorance, attempting to place the onus on an inanimate object, rather than the violent person using said inanimate object as a tool of choice to commit their violent act, shows that Caban is simply playing ideological games in attempt to score points with the malleable-minded left… and thus, making his criticism of O’Keefe disingenuous.
As always… You will never solve a problem you refuse to recognize.