Don't Ignore The Luigi Moment
Written by Sabrina Salvati
In the wake of the Luigi Mangione case, many Americans find themselves questioning our healthcare system in the United States. For the purpose of this discussion, I’m not focusing on whether you believe Luigi is innocent or guilty. I will discuss this at another time. I want to focus on this one principle. Our government doesn’t care if we live or die. Some of you may read this and feel that statement is pretty harsh. But in these dire times, I have no choice but to be blunt.
If we remember…the last time we had this discussion about the need for healthcare in this country, activists were demanding members of the squad to Force The Vote for Medicare For All. This strategy that hails from the DSA handbook, made it apparent that when politicians have a narrow majority in the congress, they should Force The Vote for Medicare For All. There was also a Force The Vote Town Hall inviting progressives in Congress to advocate for this issue. And yet…not one of the so-called progressives chose to attend the town hall. Furthermore, none of them withheld their vote for Nancy Pelosi’s speakership. Whether you believe this was the right strategy is irrelevant at this point. What I want you comprehend is this…none of those squad members even took the time to make an appearance at the town hall. During a pandemic, none of those progressives that some of you canvassed for or donated to, gave a damn when it REALLY mattered. But it’s not just them. It’s our government. Our government doesn’t care if we live or die.
Three years ago, there were Medicare For All marches in over 50 cities in this country with prominent speakers like Susan Sarandon and Dr. Dooley. After numerous invites to congressional members who campaigned on this issue, only one member of congress attended…Cori Bush. And while Cori attended the DC march, according to activists, she made it clear that they were not happy about what we were doing. By “they”, she meant the squad. Why would they oppose marches for healthcare? Think about that for a second. Meanwhile, most of progressive media with large platforms refused to promote the marches. Some did…but as I said most did not. Why is that? Could it be that they didn’t want to cosign something the squad disagreed with? Isn’t this the same thing corporate media does? Bend to will of politicians in exchange for access?
In 2020 and 2016, Bernie Sanders ran for president with a platform that consistantly advocated for Medicare For All. Now I don’t want to go through all the hooplah of those campaigns, but to make a long story short; in the end the Democratic Party cheated Bernie and he told us to vote for the same corrupt corporate candidates he told us to fight against. If Bernie believed healthcare was a right and a critical need, why did he abandon a mobilized group of people…many of whom needed healthcare? What you have to understand is that many of these politicians who ran on Medicare For All, weren’t willing to risk their political career for it. Again, our government doesn’t care if we live or die.
Medicare For All was a mute topic in congress after Force The Vote. Squad members didn’t even tweet about it anymore. And then in 2024 something happened. UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson was murdered. The alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione was arrested and a manifesto revealed that Brian was targeted because UnitedHealthcare has a horrible record for denying claims. The claim denials of UnitedHealthcare resonated with many Americans. It hit close to home for me. My first full-time job after undergrad was healthcare billing. I was the employee who had to contact insurance companies that refused to pay. I’ll let you guess which insurance company was notroriously a repeat offender. That’s right…UnitedHealthcare. While UnitedHealthcare was denying claims and Americans were dying or filing bankruptcy, what did our government do? When families had to sell their homes because they went into debt trying to pay for chemo treatments, what did our government do? Our government didn’t hold these insurance companies accountable, because companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare donate to these politicians. Politicians do not work for the people; they work for their donors. Don’t forget it took Congress years to hold the Sackler family accountable for Oxycotin deaths. And even after all of those hearings, Richard Sackler never went to jail. Richard Sackler killed thousands of people and he’s not in jail, because our government protects the wealthy and corporations. Our government does not care if we live or die.
Now that you understand that our government doesn’t care about us, the question is…what do we do about it? First and foremost, we need Americans from different political ideologies to understand that HEALTHCARE IS A NECESSITY. I used to say “healthcare is a right.” But going into 2025, I’ve been reflecting about movement building and the language that we use. Once you say “it’s a right”, this leads some people to think about the word “priveledge.” This can cause those who are more fiscally conservative to reject your premise, because they don’t want to pay for it. While many progressives realize Medicare For All is actually cheaper, many who are not progressive do not see it that way. People may be more understanding if you vocalize healthcare is a NECESSITY. We were taught this in grade school through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
“HEALTH” is nestled under safety and security on Maslow’s pyramid. If your health is weak, this can affect your employment. It can also impact your finances. Think about all of the families that file for medical bankruptcy each year. We need to demand healthcare for everyone in this country because healthcare is a necessity (please see Eleven Demands). If we change the framing, we may be able to excite and mobilize people across political lines and have a massive nationwide movement for healthcare. And here’s the other piece that I won’t to drive home. Because our government doesn’t care if we live or die, the current members in Congress must be replaced with non-partisan members that support healthcare as a necessity. And we need to start with the old guard first; Mitch, Nancy, you get the idea. Both parties are owned by big pharma and both parties will continue to defend and protect big pharma. We need more independents and third party members in Congress. We need to get as many in as possible, even if it’s a narrow majority. We need them to do what the squad failed to do.
This may sound like wishful thinking. Trust me, I get it. But the public reaction to Luigi’s case proves my point. When polled, most Americans sympathized with Luigi; not UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Now is the time. Something Dr. Cornel West said to me, is that “you have a moment in a movement.” This is that moment. I’m asking everyone not to ignore this moment.
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