Here's Why People Can't Stop Talking About The "Luigi Mangione Act"
Recently, a California ballot initiative proposal named after suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione has been going viral.
Yes, you read that right. According to the initiative document, the proposed name is the "Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act."
It proposes: "No insurer may delay, deny or modify any medical procedure or medication... recommended by a treating or attending physician where the delay, denial or modification could result in disability, death, amputation, permanent disfigurement, [or] loss or reduction of any bodily function."
Further, any decision made to delay, deny, or modify medication or a medical procedure must also be made by the physician themselves, on behalf of the insurer.
AND employing "any person who is not a physician to review a decision made by a treating or attending physician shall be a felony."
This would be a significant shake-up for insurance companies — some of which have been found by ProPublica to reject claims without even reading them.
On average, families in the US spend thousands of dollars every year on healthcare insurance, yet, according to the limited data mined by healthcare policy non-profit KFF, about one in five in-network insurance claims were denied in 2023.
Depending on the insurance provider and state, the denial rate reportedly reached up to about 54% that same year.
And why does this happen? Well, when speaking to ABC Action News, one doctor shared his personal insight:
'The national average, as well as my physician billing company average, is 20 percent of claims are denied,' Dr. Bill Hennessey shared. 'It's based primarily on one thing... price tag. The more expensive the care, the more likely the denial.'
It's a fraught subject, and reactions to the proposal have been wide-ranging — as with most news attached to Mangione's name.
His name, in association with the proposal, appears to bring immediate discomfort from opposition online. One response on X reads, "Naming a bill after a murderer wont stick. If it does, it tells our children killing others is how you enact change. Society is turning sociopathic. Not good."
However, in response to someone claiming that the proposal is "GLORIFYING assassinations in the street," others pushed back, suggesting it instead aims to quell future unrest and dissatisfaction with the US healthcare system.
"The point of this act is so that people DON'T feel the need to kill healthcare CEOs. It's called the Luigi Mangione act because LUIGI MANGIONE IS THE REASON THEY NEEDED TO WRITE A BILL ABOUT THIS," someone wrote.
Overall, a middle-of-the-road faction ignored the name and expressed they believe "this act could significantly improve healthcare access" by holding "insurance companies accountable for patients' well-being and needs."
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