The American Hospital Association has penned a letter to executives at HBO, CNN and Warner Bros. Discovery in response to what it says are concerning comments made by Bill Maher on his show this month calling for acts of violence against healthcare executives.
The letter, written by AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack and shared with Becker's, refers to Mr. Maher's "Eat the Rich" segment on Jan. 24.
Mr. Pollack alleged the segment irresponsibly promoted violence against healthcare executives. While he acknowledged that Mr. Maher eventually condemned the use of violence, Mr. Pollack argued that "when viewers often see only eight-second clips, his message was dangerous because it could provoke greater violence."
The trade association, which advocates for hospitals, health systems and their patients, called on HBO to "[use] its powerful platform and profile more responsibly."
Mr. Pollack went on to acknowledge that while healthcare is "far from perfect," calling for violence "is not a joke."
Mr. Maher's commentary comes in the wake of the fatal shooting of former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year. Mr. Maher opened his segment referencing the shooting before inveighing against the costs and other challenges people face navigating through their healthcare journey.
Becker's has reached out to HBO and will update this piece as more information becomes available.
Editor's note: This story was updated on Jan. 29.