Lesson Topics: the insurance industry, justice
Skill Focus: Speaking, Listening, Vocabulary
Approximate Class Time: 2 hours
Lesson Plan Download: insurance-ceo-murder-advanced-lesson-122024.docx
Lesson Overview:
- After warm-up questions, students match four idioms from the upcoming video to their definitions.
- The video, at 2:59 minutes in length, describes both the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the lack of empathy and sympathy the story has received online. The main theme of the video and this lesson is whether it can be acceptable to mock a person's death if he or she has engaged in (alleged) unethical activity.
- Comprehension questions follow the video and then a list of 11 vocabulary items that students should match to their corresponding definitions.
- Next, students use some of the new vocabulary in to complete discussion questions.
- The next activity, a roleplay, addresses the core question of the lesson: Can the killer's acts be justified? It plots two roommates against each other: one who wants to help hide the killer in their apartment, and the other who wants to turn him in to the police.
- The next speaking activity has students design a questionnaire to assess the health of applicants for insurance coverage. In the second part of this activity, a student uses the questionnaire to assess the health of an applicant to determine their potential coverage.
- After some famous quotations related to insurance, the lesson closes with a vocabulary review, collocation review, and final discussion questions.
ADVANCED (C1/C2) Lesson on the Health Insurance Murder
Warm-up-Questions
- Have you ever felt that a company treated you unfairly? How did you respond?
- What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘insurance’?
- Do you worry about paying your healthcare bills? Why or why not?
- Can you imagine a situation when you would celebrate someone’s death?
Idiom Focus: Match the idioms and phrasal verbs to their definition.
| 1. to step up security 2. to roll back a policy 3. to have an axe to grind 4. to let your guard town | a. to have a selfish/personal reason that influences your actions b. to improve security measures c. to cancel a policy change d. to relax and therefore stop being cautious |
Video: The Murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Background: Brian Thompson was killed on December 4th in an attack outside a New York hotel. Thompson was the CEO of United Healthcare, a large American Insurance company.
Video: Watch the below video entitled Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO sparks online debate.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMzc1QcBzXY (2:59 BrE)
Comprehension & Follow-up Questions
1) Recall & Retell: Retell the video’s main ideas to a partner using your own words.
2) What has the response been on social media to the incident? How does it reflect opinions about the health insurance industry?
3) What is the significance of the phrase “Deny, Depose, Defend” in relation to this story?
4) According to the video, how does United Healthcare compare to other U.S. health insurance providers?
5) How have other insurance companies responded to the event? (2 points)
6) True/False/Unknown: The killer was previously denied health care coverage from United.
7) Why were police able to obtain photographs of the gunman’s face?
Vocabulary Review: Match the bolded vocabulary from the video to a definition on the right.
| 1. so much online vitriol about 2. the brutal slaying of the boss … 3. to send my condolences … 4. when it comes to reimbursing people … 5. healthcare entrepreneur said 6. he was stunned by 7. the online backlash. 8. The lack of empathy … 9. make him the scapegoat … 10. a hired hitman … 11. while flirting with the receptionist. | a) (n) a person who is unfairly blamed for problems b) (n) harsh and angry criticism c) (n) expressions of sympathy, especially after a death d) (v) paying someone back for money they spent e) (v) behaving playfully to attract someone’s interest f) (n) a strong negative reaction to something g) (adj) extremely shocked or surprised h) (n) the ability to understand someone else's feelings i) (n) a person hired to kill someone j) (n) a person who starts and runs a business k) (n) the violent killing of someone |
Pronunciation: Pronounce the above words with your teacher, stressing the underlined syllable.
Replace the underlined phrase with one of the vocabulary items below. Then ask the questions to a partner.
vitriol / slaying / condolences / reimbursing / entrepreneur / stunned / backlash / empathy / scapegoat / hitman / flirting / axe to grind / let your guard down
- Can behaving playfully to attract someone at the workplace be appropriate?
- Is it fair to make someone into a(n) unfairly blamed person for the actions of an entire organization?
- Have you ever faced a strong negative reaction because of something you posted online?
- Have you ever stopped being cautious in a situation and regretted it?
- If you became a(n) person who stats a business today, what kind of business would you start?
- Have you ever had difficulty getting paid back from a company?
- Do you have a personal reason that influences your behavior with any organisations right now?
- Do you have understanding for the poor?
Speaking Activity: Roleplay (pick a role)
Situation: Roommate-A has returned home with a strange man wearing a mask. The man matches the description of the CEO murderer.
| Roommate-A: You found the man hiding in an alley by your home. You recognized him as the CEO murderer. He begged you to help him hide. You agreed. Think of reasons why you should help him hide (e.g., you are a United Healthcare client who has been repeatedly denied coverage for essential items like glasses, even though you’ve paid insurance premiums for years). When ready, introduce the man and convince your roommate to let him hide with you. You will start the conversation. Possible expression: This man did what the system refused to do: serve justice to a corporate criminal. |
| Roommate-B: If this man is the murderer, he should be turned in to the police. There is currently a $50,000 reward for information about the CEO killer. You and your roommate could really use the money. Also, the man is a murderer, so he should be in jail. Possible expression: The man is a cold-blooded murderer. |
Speaking Activity: The Questionnaire
Part 1: You work for a health insurance company. You are designing a questionnaire to assess the health of new applicants. The questionnaires can include topics like medical history, lifestyle, drug and alcohol use, stress, etc. Two sample questions are included below. Add a few more questions of your own.
- How often do you exercise, and what kind of activities do you do?
- Do you follow a balanced diet? What does a typical day of meals look like for you?
- …
- …
- …
- …
Part 2: Role-play
The applicant has just immigrated to the U.S. She needs to get health insurance.
| Applicant: You need health insurance. Answer the insurance agent’s questions. (Your goal is to convince the agent that you are a good candidate for insurance, even if you have some bad habits.) |
Insurance Agent: Ask the questions from your questionnaire above to the applicant. Based on their answers, determine whether they get:
At the end, explain your decision politely and give feedback on how they could improve their eligibility. |
Famous Quotations about Insurance
- “Fun is like life insurance; the older you get, the more it costs.” - Kin Hubbard
- "The only person who will take care of the older person you will someday be is the younger person you are now.” – Anonymous
- "Insurance is the only product that both the seller and buyer hope is never actually used."
– Anonymous - “I don’t have health insurance, but I do have car insurance. So whenever I get sick, I go crash my car into a tree.” – Anonymous
Vocabulary: Insert one of the below vocabulary items into the appropriate blank.
backlash / vitriol / reimburse / entrepreneur / slaying / scapegoat / condolences / hitman / empathy / flirting / stunned / let down his guard / step up security / an axe to grind / to roll something back
1. why has there been so much online ________ about the brutal ________ of the boss of United Healthcare?
2. I would have been happy to send my ________ after the United Healthcare CEO was killed ….
3. … ranks as one of its worst when it comes to ________ people for their health care
4. … has reportedly led to other insurers ________ for top bosses.
5. "Out of nowhere, we've decided to ________ our new policy on anesthesia."
6. One healthcare ________ said he was ________ by the online ________.
7. “The lack of ________ shocks me.”
8. … make him the ________ for everything you dislike about the industry…
9. was the alleged gunman a hired ________, or did he have ________ with United Healthcare?
10. the moment the alleged gunman ________ and his mask while ________ with the receptionist.
Final Discussion Questions
1. Would you turn down a job to be the CEO of company that made its money unethically?
2. Have you ever taken justice into your own hands?
3. Would you rather your country have a universal healthcare system or a privatized one?
4. Would you rather buy insurance for your iPhone or life insurance for your family?
5. People behave differently online than they do in public. In which environment do people show their true selves?
Collocation Review
| 1. The massive 2. It’s also shone a 3. bullet shell 4. they deny medical 5. I understand the 6. investigated for insider 7. a coldblooded | a) casings b) spotlight on… c) claims d) murder e) frustration towards the industry f) trading g) manhunt continues |
--
This lesson plan was created by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. ChatGPT was used to generate answer keys and some famous quotations. For questions, contact the author.
Comprehension Question Answer Key
- …
- Social media response: The response has been vitriolic, reflecting public anger and frustration with the health insurance industry.
- "Deny, Depose, Defend": This phrase, found on the bullet shell casings, mirrors a book title criticizing insurance companies' tactics of denying claims.
- Comparison of United Healthcare: United Healthcare is the largest U.S. health insurer but is criticized for poor reimbursement rates and denying necessary procedures.
- A) Stepped up security for top executives. B) Blue Cross reversed a policy limiting anesthesia reimbursements.
- The video states the motive is unclear and does not confirm if the killer was denied coverage.
- Police obtained the photos because the suspect let his guard down and removed his mask while flirting with a receptionist at the hostel where he was staying.
Vocabulary: 1-b, 2-k, 3-c, 4-d, 5-j, 6-g, 7-f, 8-h, 9-a, 10-i, 11-e
Collocations 1-g, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c, 5-e, 6-f, 7-d