Author Jay Feinman says frustration witnessed following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson extends to the entire insurance industry including auto and homeowners.

In a MarketWatch opinion piece, Feinman, author of “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” describes his thoughts on why the act of violence forced a national conversation about insurance. 

Feinman notes that he was “struck” when learning that investigators found bullet casings inscribed with the words delay, deny, and depose at the scene of the killing. 

“Many people responded not by mourning Thompson, but by blaming UnitedHealthcare and other insurers for failing to pay for essential medical treatments,” Feinman writes. “Gleeful online trolls even celebrated the alleged killer as a heroic vigilante.”

The killing revealed American “resentment and even rage,” Feinman says. 

“And while the focus has been on health insurance, these frustrations extend across the broader insurance landscape,” Feinman writes. “Homeowners insurance, for example, is becoming harder to get in many states, even as coverage is shrinking, and car insurance rates are also skyrocketing. These trends are fueling widespread discontent with insurers of all kinds.”

Allstate CEO Tom Wilson recently received backlash online after posting a video commenting on the Bourbon Street terrorist attack in New Orleans, according to Fox News. 

Days after the attack, a video was played for fans ahead of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where  Wilson said, “Our prayers are with the victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity.” 

A jihadist killed and maimed dozens of innocent Americans in a hate-fueled rampage, and the CEO of Allstate thinks Americans watching the Sugar Bowl need a lecture from him on overcoming “an addiction to divisiveness and negativity?”

Absolutely not!! pic.twitter.com/CuyOYoz1mg

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 2, 2025

The statements sparked social media posts calling for the canceling of the insurance company. Commentary quickly turned to comments about Allstate’s business practices. 

After an evil, ISIS supporter killed over a dozen people & seriously injured a dozen more, the AllState Sugar Bowl kicked off with the AllState CEO lecturing viewers on “divisiveness and negativity”…

“We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to… pic.twitter.com/HReOC5GXp1

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) January 2, 2025

Fox News reported that Allstate later removed all social media posts with the video. 

Feinman writes that policyholders are most upset when they feel insurers fail to keep their promises to pay claims promptly and fairly. 

“Too often, people say insurance companies delay paying some claims, deny other valid claims altogether, and force policy holders to defend themselves in court — all to increase profits by cutting claim costs,” Feinman says. 

Homeowner and car insurance companies often don’t provide copies of policy language or summaries of policy terms to prospective policyholders, Feinman notes. 

“Even when consumers have access to policies, many don’t read or can’t understand the long, complex legal documents,” the opinion piece says. “Similarly, they can’t anticipate the many ways a loss could occur or the problems that could result if it does. As a result, they are only aware of a few key terms and otherwise believe that they will be ‘in good hands’ with a ‘good neighbor,’ to quote two of the iconic phrases of insurance advertising.”

Lawmakers and regulators need to take action, Feinman says. 

“Rebuilding trust in insurance won’t be easy, but it’s essential. Insurance is the great protector of financial security for the American middle class — but only when it works. As the recent reaction demonstrates, it needs to work better,” Feinman writes. “The insurance industry won’t change by itself; the financial pressures on insurers resulting from increasing losses and fierce market competition are too great.”

Regulation could require that key information about coverage be made available in an accessible format, Feinman says. He says companies should also be mandated to disclose the quality of policies and if claims are paid promptly and fairly. 

Minimum coverage standards should be considered by states, Feinman says. He added that policyholders also need effective remedies when insurance companies are found to have acted unreasonably. 

“When people find themselves in this sort of situation, they have to spend lots of time and effort fighting to get what they were owed in the first place,” Feinman says. “Even when an insurance company eventually relents, it still hasn’t fulfilled its original promise to the policyholder to settle claims promptly and fairly. In these cases, requiring additional compensation to policyholders and insurer disincentives for unreasonable conduct would level the playing field.

“The deep resentment many Americans feel toward insurance companies became apparent after the killing of Brian Thompson. Reforms such as these would be a meaningful response to that resentment.”

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Feature image of author Jay Feinman/delaydenydefend.com

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