California voters may soon weigh in on a controversial new healthcare measure named after Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League graduate accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in cold blood.
The proposed legislation, dubbed the “Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act,” was introduced by retired Los Angeles attorney Paul Eisner, who admitted that naming it after Mangione was a deliberate tactic to attract attention to the issue.
Eisner’s proposal seeks to prevent insurance companies from “delaying, denying, or modifying any medical procedure or medication” prescribed by a doctor if such actions could result in serious harm. According to documents filed with the California attorney general’s office, the measure aims to eliminate insurance practices that could lead to “disability, death, amputation, permanent disfigurement, or loss of bodily function.”
The act’s name has drawn swift criticism, especially given the brutal nature of the crime Mangione is accused of committing. The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot and killed in Manhattan last December, and investigators found bullet casings at the crime scene marked with the words “delay” and “deny.” Authorities believe the inscriptions were inspired by the book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.”
Despite the backlash, Eisner defended his decision to associate the bill with Mangione, telling CBS 8, “It is getting the attention it needs, because sometimes things require publicity.” While he insists he does not condone Mangione’s actions, Eisner aligns with his broader message about insurance company practices.
“I agree with what he was arguing, but I don’t support his method. What I am doing is the right way to do it,” Eisner said.
The initiative has sparked heated debate online, with many condemning its association with an accused murderer.
“‘THE LUIGI MANGIONI ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE ACT’ Seriously???? A ballot initiative about health care submitted today to the California Attorney General is named after the accused killer. Crazy,” journalist Gerald Posner wrote on X.
Podcast producer Leigh Wolf also criticised the move, saying, “I’m starting to suspect the Democrats in charge of California might actually just be simple roadside lunatics after all.”
If passed, the measure would empower patients to sue insurance companies for wrongful denials and seek attorney fees and triple damages. The public comment period for the proposal runs until April 25, after which the attorney general’s office will review the initiative and assign an official title. To make it onto the November 2026 ballot, the measure must garner over 546,000 valid signatures from registered California voters.
Meanwhile, Mangione remains in custody, facing murder charges in both New York and federal courts. He has pleaded not guilty. Despite the accusations against him, he has amassed a following of supporters who have raised funds for his legal defense, sent him fan mail, and even allegedly threatened witnesses in the case.
