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People hold signs outside of Manhattan Criminal Court in support of Luigi Mangione on Dec. 23, 2024.

My book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It” was thrust into the spotlight recently after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed last month in what authorities say was a targeted attack. Investigators at the scene found bullet casings inscribed with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose.”

The unsettling echo of the book’s title struck me and many others. Thompson’s killing – and the torrent of online outrage over insurance claim rejections that followed – put Americans’ unhappiness with insurers at the forefront of the national conversation. Many people pointed fingers at UnitedHealthcare and other health insurers for failing to pay for essential medical treatments. Gleeful online trolls even celebrated the alleged killer as a heroic vigilante.

As a scholar of the insurance industry, I am not surprised by this ghoulish reaction. The killing revealed many Americans’ deep resentment and even rage at insurance companies. And while the focus has been on health insurance, these frustrations extend across the broader insurance landscape. Homeowners insurance, for example, is becoming harder to get in many states, at the same time that coverage is shrinking (in part because of extreme weather). Auto........

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