Florida Woman Behind Bars for Blue Cross Blue Shield Threat

Police in Lakeland, Fla., arrested Briana Boston this week. Boston is accused of calling a Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) office over denied insurance claims. According to WFLA, police allege that Boston told the company, "Delay, Deny, Depose. You people are next." Boston admitted to detectives that she made the call, claiming that “healthcare companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil.” Boston also told detectives that she used the phrase "Delay, Deny, Depose" because it was "in the news right now." She hastened to add that she was not a danger to anyone and didn't own any firearms. 

She readily admitted that, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I said, but I didn’t mean anything by it’, (Lakeland Police Chief Sam)Taylor said. “Well, you don’t get to pull that back after you say it.

Authorities contend that based on her statements, Boston intended to threaten the insurance company “by using the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s homicide to her advantage.”  Boston was charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. At her initial appearance, her attorney asked the judge to release her on her own recognizance because she is married, 42, a mother of three, and had no prior charges or convictions. The judge refused and set Boston's bond at $100,000 bail, commenting, “I do find that the bond of $100,000 is appropriate considering the status of our country at this point.”

Truer words were never spoken, at least this week. For the sake of argument, let us say that Boston uttered the words "Delay, Deny, Depose" to get the results she wanted, make a point, or vent her frustration. Even if that is the case, she had to be able to make the moral leap downward to decide her threat was a viable option. 

It is not news or a state secret that healthcare is a mess. You might be surprised at the number of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers who are just as angry and frustrated as the rest of the country over the issue. Their hands are tied for providing treatments in many cases; insurance boondoggles take up enormous amounts of time and money, and patient care often suffers. In March, I wrote a piece about nurses who were struggling because of staff shortages brought on by companies who place profit above everything else. You can read those nurses' stories here. The frustration and agony caused by a dysfunctional system is very real.

Be that as it may, the murder of the United Healthcare CEO and Boston's choice to use the killer's words in her phone call are indicative of a societal condition that has been coming for some time now. Luigi Mangione is a scion of a very wealthy and influential family and does not lack money. But at some point, the guardrails came down for him. While he is being lauded by many on the left as a hero for the crime of which he has been accused, Boston apparently felt Mangione's actions were sufficient to justify her own threats. Boston may have just been tendering the first excuse she could think of for extremely poor judgment, or she may have honestly believed that she was merely exaggerating to get her point across. My money is on the former. 

In both cases, we see the results of an atomized society, shredded by social media and rhetoric. For Boston, it may be she simply did not care. For Mangione and everyone who set fire to cities, terrorized Jewish students on campuses, attacked women's pregnancy centers, or any of the other acts of chaos that have made headlines in recent years, we are seeing what happens when the mentality of safe spaces and participation trophies ultimately morphs into terrorism. 

It is also worth noting that one never hears of these protesters and others within their orbits actually building houses, creating options for healthcare, or even holding food or coat drives. They never make anything better. For them, violence is the proper response and could even be considered an act of charity. In truth, they have done nothing but allow themselves the glorious adrenaline rush that comes with destructive tantrums or even murder.