Doctor Goes Viral After Revealing Patient in Coma Denied Insurance Claim by UnitedHealthcare: 'Tear It All Down'

A viral post by a doctor revealed that UnitedHealthcare denied coverage for a patient in a coma, claiming the care was not "medically necessary."

Dr. Zachary Levy's post to X shared the story of a recent denial of coverage for a critically ill patient suffering from a brain hemorrhage and heart failure. He said the patient was in coma and needed to be on a ventilator.

"United Healthcare @UHC just denied a claim on one of my patients in the ICU ... because I haven't proven to them that caring for her in the hospital was 'medically necessary,'" Levy wrote. "Tear it all down."

Levy said the denial was based on UnitedHealthcare's claim that hospitalization was not "medically necessary."

UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurance providers, has faced accusations of using flawed processes, including AI tools, to reject claims, Newsweek reported.

Recent scrutiny intensified after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder after evidence surfaced implying that the suspect allegedly had a vendetta against the insurance industry. The doctor's post Monday brought renewed focus on the flaws in health insurance practices.

Meanwhile, UnitedHealthcare maintains that such denials are rare.