Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
When UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York on Dec. 4, it sparked a national debate about how health insurance companies routinely deny patients life-saving drugs. Most people though to celebrate Luigi Mangione, 26, is awaiting extradition to New York where he was arrested last week in Pennsylvania. But UnitedHealth Group, which is the parent of UnitedHealthcare, appears to be using an unusual strategy to fight back against anyone celebrating Mangione online.
Internet users have created an aesthetic Cleanserincluding everything from music to t-shirts. But one pro-Mangione plan is no longer available online because UnitedHealth Group filed a complaint against it under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The artwork has been removed from Teepublic, which allows artists to sell their artwork on products such as t-shirts and sweatshirts. But it’s not clear how UnitedHealth can claim a right to something that doesn’t involve any of its discretion.
The design, which you can see below, does not include any UnitedHealth logos or anything that could be interpreted as a logo or image of the healthcare giant. It is a watercolor painting by Mangione, well inspired by one of them security camera footage released by the police. Mangione has been surrounded in the heart but, again, nothing seems to be related to UnitedHealth.
The creator of the photo told Gizmodo that it’s “nonsense” because he doesn’t understand how UnitedHealthcare would have any control over it. Rachel Kenaston, 36 years old filmmaker and comedianhe said he was encouraged by what he called the unity shown by the workers after the shooting
“I live in Brooklyn but I grew up in Vienna, West Virginia so I’ve seen firsthand how hard working people are in rural and urban areas,” Kenaston told Gizmodo via email. “Luigi is a hero to me, I grew up learning about Mine Wars and how heroes risk their lives to fight businesses.”
The Mine Wars tells the story of the 1910s in West Virginia, where coal miners wanted better wages and better working conditions. The police and mine owners tried to break up the workers with violence, and the workers fought back.
Kenaston said he didn’t expect any kind of technical content to be created and told Gizmodo that he was writing against personal information.
“For my design, I chose to paint Luigi and use beautiful pastel colors to attract the attention of women,” said Kenaston. “I was honestly hoping that the plans would be pulled because of tolerance for violence or something, but I found it strange that UnitedHealth Group Inc. claims to have the intellectual rights to Luigi’s image.”
Kenaston has his share of problems with the US medical system, which is known to be the most expensive in the world while delivering poorer health outcomes than other rich countries.
“I had a large bone tumor in my ribs a few years ago. I’ve had 5 breast reconstruction surgeries at Memorial Sloan Kettering and without the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion in NY I wouldn’t be able to pay for any treatment,” Kenaston told Gizmodo. “I’m missing three ribs and I’m in chronic pain so unfortunately I’ve had a lot of medical experience and I feel sorry for Luigi’s struggle and back pain.”
Kenaston explained how growing up in a town polluted by a large corporation has also helped shape his views on these issues.
“In our hometown, DuPont is responsible for dumping C8 in our water and causing thousands of deaths from cancer and other health problems,” Kenaston said. “It’s very sad to know that companies are responsible for so many people’s lives and the only justice the American people can hope for is a fine.”
Kenaston is other designs found on the internet, including cat and dog breeds and lots of political art like Donald Trump’s “Dick-tator” head design. In that case, Trump’s body looks like a scrotum made from potatoes.
GoFundMe has shut down at least two Mangione’s fundraising effortssince public interest in his story has spread far and wide. And the woman was arrested and charged last week after being told “delay, deny, cancel” to his insurance company who turned him down. And there are already many records of Mangione’s claims in workincluding one of Alex Gibney, the director of Taxi to the Dark Sidewhich won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2008.
UnitedHealth Group did not respond to questions sent Monday about how the company would report the breach. Gizmodo will update this if we hear back.
