Just two months after the high-profile assassination case of its CEO Brian Thompson, insurance giant UnitedHealthcare is now making headlines for sending a threatening letter to Austin, Texas-based plastic surgeon Dr. Elisabeth Potter, who criticized the company’s practices online. 

Last month, Dr. Potter, renowned for her work in reconstructive breast surgery, shared her experience with UnitedHealthcare, lamenting the insurance companies’ way of doing business that puts money over patient rights.

Dr. Elisabeth Potter stepped out of surgery to answer a call from UnitedHealthcare about her patient’s overnight stay

Image credits: Elisabeth Potter, MD

According to Dr. Elisabeth Potter, she was unexpectedly interrupted during a critical reconstructive operation on a breast cancer survivor by a supposedly “urgent” phone call from UnitedHealthcare. The call caused Dr. Potter to step out of the operating room to address the inquiry, an action she thought was necessary to prevent her patient from potentially facing a large, unjustified bill. 

“Insurance is out of control. I have no other words,” expressed Dr. Potter

Image credits: Scott Michael

“It’s 2025, and insurance just keeps getting worse,” Potter said in a TikTok video that quickly became viral, garnering 5.5 million views.

She further described the incident, stating, “I just did two bilateral dieps and two bilateral tissue expanders for patients, and I’ve never had this happen before, but during the second diep, I got a phone call into the operating room saying that UnitedHealthcare wanted me to call them about one of the patients who was having surgery today, who’s actually asleep having surgery.”

UHC allegedly asked whether the patient’s overnight stay was necessary or not

Image credits: drelisabethpotter

@drelisabethpotterIt’s 2025, and navigating insurance has somehow gotten even more out of control… I just performed two bilateral DIEP flap surgeries and two bilateral tissue expander surgeries. During one of the DIEP cases, I was interrupted by a call from United Healthcare—while the patient was already asleep on the operating table. They demanded information about her diagnosis and inpatient stay justification. I had to scrub out mid-surgery to call United, only to find that the person on the line didn’t even have access to the patient’s full medical information, despite the procedure already being pre-approved. It’s beyond frustrating and, frankly, unacceptable. Patients and providers deserve better than this. We should be focused on care, not bureaucracy. I just have no other words at this point♬ original sound – Dr. Elisabeth Potter

As one of the many doctors who condemn UnitedHealthcare for their business approach, Dr. Potter claims that the UHC representative from the company asked for information about her patient’s diagnosis and if it was necessary for her overnight stay. 

Potter then asked if the representative knew that the patient was asleep and had breast cancer, to which they responded, ‘No,’ and added, “That’s a different department.” Shocked by the inhumane nature of the call, Potter resorted to social media to share her thoughts. “Yeah, it’s out of control. Insurance is out of control. I have no other words,” Potter continued. 

UnitedHealthcare asked Potter to take down her posts and issue a public apology

Image credits: drelisabethpotter

@drelisabethpotterAs a doctor, it is next to impossible for me to reach out and talk to someone at an insurance company. But after posting that video, United actually reached out to MY office and left their number. I am going to call them back tomorrow and I will let you know what they say…♬ original sound – Dr. Elisabeth Potter

Now, after a month of going viral, Dr. Potter explained that she had been contacted by the company and shared the letter of demands she received from law firm Clarke Locke, which self-proclaims as the leading law firm in the United States, hinting at legal repercussions if they’re not met. 

In the letter shared on TikTok in full detail, UnitedHealthcare claims the surgeon was never asked to step out of the surgery and was only contacted because they wanted to confirm if the overnight stay request was made in “error” or not. 

Dr. Potter was accused of knowingly sharing “misinformation”

Image credits: drelisabethpotter

@drelisabethpotterUnitedHealthcare Update: It Just Got Worse On January 7th, 2025 I shared a video, after I was asked to call UnitedHealthcare from the operating room to answer administrative questions about the patient who was having surgery to treat breast cancer. Despite my efforts, they denied her stay. UnitedHealthcare didn’t stop at calling me during surgery. Now, they’ve sent me a legal threat—and even worse? They ended up denying my cancer patient’s hospital stay. Exactly what I was afraid would happen. Staying overnight after major surgery isn’t optional—it’s medically necessary. But UnitedHealthcare decided they know better than the doctors caring for the patient. When they called me while I was operating, I knew that if I didn’t step out and respond immediately, they might deny her stay—leaving her with a massive bill. So, with another surgeon in the OR, I scrubbed out and called them back. But after all of that? They denied her stay anyway. And instead of fixing their broken system, they sent me a legal threat for speaking out. I’m sharing their response in full, letting their words speak for themselves. Let me be clear: I stand by everything I said. I told the truth. I was honest about what’s happening in our healthcare system. And I will not be silenced by legal threats when it comes to advocating for my patients and my ability to care for them. Denying an overnight stay that a doctor orders is dangerous. The doctor caring for the patient should be able to make these decisions without delay, pressure, or harassment. If I don’t speak up, I lose—my integrity, my voice, and the opportunity to make a difference. And while it’s intimidating to receive a letter like this from a company as powerful as UnitedHealthcare, I know where I stand. I am a woman taking care of women affected by breast cancer. I do this work with all of my heart, and I will continue to speak up for my patients—because they deserve better. I ask you to follow along, share this story, and have these conversations in your own communities. I know I’m not the only one dealing with this, and real change will take all of us telling our stories and standing up for what’s right. I’m here for it. Are you? 💙♬ original sound – Dr. Elisabeth Potter

Dr. Potter was also accused of knowingly sharing “misinformation” and publicly hosting threats against the company through the comments on her videos.

“Your claims are false. You clearly know they are false. You falsely laid the blame for your office’s error on UnitedHealthcare publicly, unleashing a firestorm of dangerous misinformation,” the letter reads. 

The letter from UnitedHealthcare also requests a public apology from Potter, stating, “We expect you to promptly correct this publicly by removing your videos and posting a public apology.” 

Dr. Potter says, “The gaslighting and harassment in the letter which United sent me has not worked”

Image credits: businesswire

In the post she shared on Monday, Potter complained that the situation UnitedHealthcare puts patients in is worse than the letter she received and that she won’t be silenced.

“Staying overnight after a surgery isn’t optional; it’s medically necessary, but UnitedHealthcare decided they know better than the doctors caring for the patients,” she added, while mentioning that the company didn’t allow her patient’s overnight stay anyway. 

She continued, “The gaslighting and harassment in the letter which United sent me has not worked to do anything other than strengthen my resolve. I will continue to speak honestly, clearly, and plainly about the state of healthcare in the United States of America.” 

UnitedHealthcare has been going through tough times

 

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A post shared by Elisabeth Potter, MD (@drelisabethpotter)

The last few months haven’t been easy on the UnitedHealthcare group, as they have been thrust into turmoil following the assassination of the company’s CEO, Brian Thompson, resulting in a staggering $63 billion loss on the market.

The events began with Thompson’s murder in December, allegedly by Luigi Mangione, who was later captured and charged while drawing widespread media attention and public discourse on corporate healthcare practices. 

As UnitedHealthcare group struggled with this scandal, they also faced criticism for how they handled the situation, particularly after a leaked memo from CEO Andrew Witty praised Thompson’s legacy while failing to address the growing public discontent with the company’s care system’s profit-driven focus.

The events stack, one after another, setting the stage for further controversy, including the company’s aggressive legal actions against critics—such as Dr. Elisabeth Potter—that have come to light, sparking even bigger backlash from the public.

UnitedHealthcare has been receiving harsh criticism from the public as well

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