Anarchistcook’s Weblog

United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed this morning in New York City. His net worth was estimated at approximately $42.9 million as of February 16, 2024, according to Wallmine.com, yet I spend my days talking with his clients who often haven’t eaten in days and are seeking groceries.

I get the first of what would be between 10 to 20 calls a day from seniors seeking food in February 2023. “Are you Community meals? United Healthcare gave me your number.”

It wasn’t but a couple weeks into this sudden flood of requests for food when I went on line and found the number for the CEO&’s office of United Healthcare to see if they could stop sending people my way and instead refer their clients to 211 or food programs in their local area.  The women who answered each week were sympathetic and claimed they would correct the situation.  But the calls continued to today.

At first people would say they had called the number on the back of the benefit card that United Healthcare had provided. The $100 on the cards had run out and they were confused thinking they would get $100 a month for food. When United Healthcare gave them the sad news they suggested they call Community Meals at 1-800-884-1136. I would try to see if a local Food Not Bombs group could help but often all I could suggest is to call 211, their county offices or United Way.

People called from Hawaii, California, Texas, Maryland, Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Maine and all across the South East.

The stories were heart breaking. One older woman in Georgia was down to three cans of tuna and didn’t even have bread for a sandwich. A man in Florida hadn’t eaten in days but he sure was proud of his guns. He would call six months later.

An older lady called from rural Tennessee. She had just been housed after being homeless. She had a car but no money and not enough gas to get to town even if she could afford to buy groceries. She lived a two or three hour drive from our groups in Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville. Too far for our volunteers to deliver groceries.

One of the most heartbreaking calls was from James, a man in his seventies who lived with his diabetic wife and disabled son. The food pantries in his county and the neighboring counties had closed down because they couldn’t keep up with the needs. He lived on $800 a month, was not able to afford the co-pay for his wife’s insulin nor his own cancer medicine. He said it was already 105 degrees outside and he couldn’t pay his electric bill so his two old window unit air conditioners wouldn’t be working by week’s end. He started to cry telling me he had worked his whole life and always paid his taxes. Like many others he was angry we could pay for war while turning our backs on the American people.

I had been off the phone for about five minutes when a senior from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina rings. She hadn’t eaten in three days and was desperate for help.

Many of those who call introduce themselves as calling from United Healthcare and have a senior on the line that needs home delivery of groceries. I suggest their client call that 211 number or their county offices. I also ask them to remove my number and direct everyone to the 211 service, the local United Way or county offices.

As of December 2024 United Healthcare has a market cap of $561.15 Billion USD. This makes United Healthcare the world’s 16th most valuable company by market cap according to CompaniesMarketcap.com.

With the billions United Healthcare makes they could have hired a team of social workers to investigate a realistic policy of directing the hungry to services that could help rather than sending people to a group that shares food with the homeless.

Keith McHenry

PO Box 422

Santa Cruz, CA 95061 USA

575-770-3377

keith@foodnotbombs.net