A healthcare worker detailed in a TikTok video her struggle to get a colon cancer surgery approved for a patient, alleging that the insurance company Humana denied the procedure and then provided her with no viable way to appeal the decision as a provider. The video, posted by a user named Becca Anne, shows the worker in blue scrubs at a desk, visibly frustrated as she recounts the events.
In the clip, she explained that she had submitted a request for an inpatient surgery for a patient with a confirmed colon cancer diagnosis. “They denied her surgery saying not medically necessary, even though it’s proven colon cancer with a pathology,” she stated. The worker said she called the number provided for the denial and was told a peer-to-peer review could not be conducted because it was an inpatient surgery.
She was directed to a Humana denials website to file a grievance, but found that option was for patients only, not providers. “I tried putting in a new authorization. It denied it immediately as a duplicate. I can’t do a peer-to-peer. I can’t do an appeal. Like, I, I don’t know what to do,” she said in the video.
The provider describes a dead end in the appeals process
The healthcare worker then walked through what appeared to be a call with an insurance representative. She confirmed the surgery details, including a September 23 date of service and the diagnosis code for colon cancer. The representative on the call suggested checking the system for the best option.
The worker reiterated her frustration with the denial reason. “Since this authorization is denied and the reason of the denial is not medically necessary, which is so crazy because she has cancer growing in her colon. I don’t know how much more medically necessary you get,” she said. The representative on the call stated that the only remaining option was to file an appeal through the grievance and appeals department.
However, the worker insisted she had already tried that path. “I tried that and it’s only for patients. It’s not for providers. There’s no option for the provider to appeal, to do a grievance,” she said. She described calling the provider line and reaching only a recording. “It’s a recording that says go to this website. It’s not— there’s no human, like it doesn’t take you to a human,” she explained.
The video concludes with the representative on the call offering to transfer her to a different line extension for further assistance. The on-screen text in the video reads, “Part 2 Humana denied colon surgery for colon cancer diagnosis.” The video’s caption states, “Humana denying a patient to have cancer removed from her colon!”
The video sparked a significant reaction in its comment section. One user wrote, “This is CRIMINAL! These insurance companies have too much power!” Another comment read, “Has the patient tried not having colon cancer?” -Humana, probably.”
Other comments called for legislative action. One stated, “We need legislation that ensures that insurance companies do not have approval to decline a licensed physician’s orders. Period.” Another user questioned executive compensation, writing, “Humana CEO made 18.76 million in 2025 btw.” The frustration with corporate accountability extends beyond healthcare, as a mother recently documented a hardened dark mass inside a sealed bag of Great Value tortilla chips and asked Walmart to explain.
Some comments expressed severe anger at the situation. One person commented, “Any death caused by delayed care due to insurance denials should be able to be criminally charged for murder. Idk how these insurance companies basically get away with practicing without a medical license.” Another simply asked, “HOW DO THESE PEOPLE SLEEP AT NIGHT?!”
