A TikTok posted on January 7, 2025, by Dr. Elisabeth Potter, a plastic surgeon in Austin, Texas, has been shared wildly over the past several months, clearly striking a nerve across the country.
Dr. Potter was performing a complicated breast reconstruction on a cancer patient.
Mid-surgery, she was told UnitedHealthcare wanted to talk with her about the patient’s diagnosis and hospital stay – even though the procedure had been pre-approved.
She scrubbed out to take the call, later expressing she worried that not answering might jeopardize the patient’s coverage.
Then, the people on the other end of the line weren’t even familiar with the treatment Dr. Potter and her patient had decided upon.
They didn’t have the full medical details, had never met the patient, never performed the procedure themselves – yet they were still in a position to second-guess her judgment.
Frustrated, she later posted the video saying, “Insurance is out of control.” Within days, the clip had more than 4.7 million views on TikTok.
United Healthcare exposed by Dr. Elizabeth Potter. @UHC @askUHC pic.twitter.com/7ovVlKgc6D
— Johnny Skidmark (@Skid5150) August 16, 2025
UnitedHealthcare responded soon after. The company said it “never asked or expected” a surgeon to leave surgery for a call, calling such a scenario unsafe and not their policy.
The insurer claimed the matter stemmed from an error around the hospital stay request, and that the stay was ultimately approved.
On February 5, 2025, reports emerged that UnitedHealthcare had hired a prestigious law firm, Clare Locke, to demand she pull the video, apologize, and reach out to media outlets to correct the record or face legal action.
She refused.
Her resistance came with consequences. According to a July 16, 2025 article, Potter now is facing nearly $5 million in clinic-related debt.
There’s some speculation that UnitedHealthcare retaliated against her by excluding her RedBud Surgery Centre from its provider network, though the company denies the claim, saying the network had already been closed before her video.
Nevada Families Face The Same Hurdles
This isn’t just a Texas story.
In 2023, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 19% of in‑network insurance claims were denied – even when patients followed all rules.
That means nearly one in five legitimate claims gets shot down.
Nevada knows the burden of such delays all too well. We’ve got that already have too few doctors, making it tough to get care fast.
When insurance companies pile on approval hurdles and denials, everything slows – even lifesaving treatments.
Imagine waiting for a specialist for months, and then still having to battle for coverage. Maybe you don’t have to imagine – it happens all too frequently.
How AI Is Changing the Game – for Worse?
Another layer to this headache: UnitedHealthcare and its AI partner, naviHealth, face a class-action lawsuit for using an AI system called nH Predict to deny coverage.
The tool allegedly has a 90% error rate, meaning nine of ten denials are wrong but most patients don’t appeal. Only 0.2% of denied claims are appealed.
A federal judge recently let this case move forward, rejecting most of UHG’s arguments to dismiss it. Critics say these tools stack the deck against patients, prioritizing profits over care.
Nevada families shouldn’t have to navigate a digital maze when they or a loved one needs treatment.
What Needs To Change
Healthcare decisions belong in the hands of doctors and patients – not faceless corporations or complicated algorithms.
Nevada families already feel the pinch, from skyrocketing premiums to Medicaid disputes. When insurers control the flow of care with pre-approvals, intrusive phone calls, or error-prone AI systems, that burden deepens.
What’s needed instead:
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Let care happen. Trust doctors and patients to do what’s right, without bureaucratic interruptions in the operating room.
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Protect provider networks. Make sure clinics like Dr. Potter’s can stay in-network when they’re providing necessary care.
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Limit AI overreach. Require human review and transparency when insurance decisions are influenced by algorithms.
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Support appeals. Ensure patients and providers have clear, fair options if denials do happen.
Insurers argue they need approval processes to control costs and prevent overuse, and of course the courts must handle defamation concerns with care.
But many lawmakers and health professionals warn that pencil-pushers are getting between doctors and their patients – and people are being hurt because of it.
There’s a reason you have to go to school to be a doctor; the job isn’t exactly easy, and a million variables make every single case a bit different.
One Doctor Refused to Back Down – and Millions Took Notice
Dr. Potter didn’t have to go public. But she did, standing up to the system she believes puts profits ahead of patients.
Her fight shows how broken our system has become and how badly it needs fixing. Whether you’re in Nevada or anywhere else in America, this is a fight that affects us all.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
