Initiative Restricts Insurance Denials for Physician-Recommended Medical Care.
Increases Insurers’ Potential Liability. Initiative Statute.
SACRAMENTO, CA – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on May 30, 2025.
The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards that information to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may begin circulation for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:
RESTRICTS INSURANCE DENIALS FOR PHYSICIAN-RECOMMENDED MEDICAL CARE. INCREASES INSURERS’ POTENTIAL LIABILITY. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
Prohibits health insurers from delaying, denying, or modifying physician-recommended medical care if doing so could seriously harm the patient. Permits only licensed physicians to make coverage decisions. In lawsuits challenging coverage decisions, places burden on insurer to prove it did not violate the law; awards triple damages and attorney’s fees for violations. The measure does not define key terms (e.g., “insurer”, “medical procedure”) and its full scope therefore is uncertain and may be subject to litigation. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Either limited or extensive effect on state and local government health care costs, potentially from the hundreds of millions of dollars to as much as the billions of dollars annually, depending on how courts interpret the measure and how insurers react to the measure’s new restrictions. (25-0002A1.)
The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1980 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 25-0002A1.
The proponent of the measure, Paul Eisner, must collect signatures of 546,651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than November 26, 2025. The address for the proponent is 11121 Queensland Street, #H37, Los Angeles, CA 90034. The proponent may also be contacted at pauldeisner@gmail.com.
