Certainly, some of the details of the UnitedHealthcare CEO case are story-esque: engraved bullet casings that whisper Delay, Deny, Depose; Monopoly money left in a backpack and suspect Luigi Mangione’s cryptic shouts about an “insult to the American people” as he is dragged away.
In response to his arrest, thousands of Americans on social media have proclaimed support for young Mangione. One Reddit user questioned, “If OJ got off why can’t he?”, while another declared Mangione a “goddamn hero.” The backlash the healthcare industry has received is intense and sudden, with United Healthcare having received a mountain of insurance complaints.
But where do college students stand? What have students from elite institutions — such as Mangione’s alma mater the University of Pennsylvania — stated in the past regarding healthcare?
At Stanford, our own elite institution, social justice advocacy is commonplace; from protests on the Israel-Gaza conflict to graduate worker union action, Stanford sets a strong example of student activism for other universities to emulate.
In light of the Mangione shooting, I’d like to add one more topic to the agenda: healthcare reform. Though protests are commonplace on college campuses, widespread advocacy for systemic healthcare change has been minimal.
Perhaps this is a consequence of U.S. policies on young adult health care coverage. Typically, young adults have the option of remaining on their parents’ healthcare plans as dependents, potentially shielding them from the issues faced by insurance-payers. Coincidentally, parental coverage automatically ends on an individual’s 26th birthday.
Whether or not this contributed to 26-year-old Mangione’s aversion to the healthcare system, it reveals a key reason as to why many young adults may be indifferent to healthcare reform initiatives. In spite of this, as college students — regardless of how elite our school might be — we have a responsibility to advocate for issues that will affect us, even if they do not immediately pose any consequences to us. This is something I only recently came to fully understand.
My aunt, who had been diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, received chemotherapy in her home country of South Africa. However, when the treatment proved to be ineffective, a question was raised: why not treat her in the U.S.?
The answer — the truth — was devastating. It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for an additional two years of life, two years that my family could not afford. When my aunt passed away, it became clear to me that the U.S. healthcare system was one that deeply and directly hurt me.
Yet, at Stanford, there is little opportunity to channel my drive, undoubtedly shared by others, into positive action on healthcare change. Although scattered efforts towards healthcare change have been made by advocacy groups and graduate students, unified undergraduate efforts have been limited. At a university that prides itself in its trailblazing medical research and healthcare services, there are few campus-wide calls for reform. There are few student protests advocating for cheaper insurance, few rallies for making cancer treatments more accessible and few petitions to expand what Cardinal Care covers.
Though Stanford students may feel distanced from the toils of healthcare insurance, this pain lies closer to the Farm than they may think. In 2018, Palo Alto criticized Stanford Health Care over its exorbitant treatment plans. Plans for alcohol and drug usage, for instance, were a shocking 264% higher than California’s average rates. And though the organization labels itself a “not-for-profit” organization, President and CEO David Entwistle receives an annual compensation of over $4.5 million a year.
Why don’t students respond to this and to the extensive lack of coverage that young adults across the U.S. face? We certainly have the resources to respond. We constitute a privileged demographic; in 2022, only 39% of adults between ages 18 and 24 were enrolled in college. Our education is a strong and viable avenue for change, wherein classrooms spark fresh ideas and campus protests create firebrand advocates. Though Mangione rejected the privilege that his education afforded him, we have the opportunity to choose differently and learn from his situation.
We cannot wait for another unlawful murder, romanticized Ivy League grad or dark vigilante tale to spark reform. Mangione’s story is a warning — to college students and the American public at-large — of an underlying healthcare crisis that has remained hidden for too long. Systemic change involves proactivity, so let us identify the abusive systems within our country. Whether it be racial and ethnic disparities, a criminal justice system that favors the rich and powerful or an abusive healthcare system, we cannot afford to withhold our voices.
Next time, I won’t wait for the death of a family member to speak up. Next time, I won’t wait for news headlines to write a long overdue op-ed. Next time, I will advocate with confidence and intent. I hope that you’ll join me.