A woman who said she recently had a heart attack shared a letter she received from her insurance company, Cigna, claiming the company determined her treatment was not medically necessary. The woman, who goes by Maria Simpson on TikTok, posted a video showing the letter and explaining her situation. The video has drawn a large number of comments from people reacting to her story.
In the video, the woman said she is 37 years old and had a heart attack two weeks prior. She said she was hospitalized for two days, which included time in the emergency room and the cath lab. She stated that her total bill so far has reached $110,000, and she expects more bills are still coming.
The video’s caption reads: “Per CIGNA, saving my life was not medically necessary. 😵 My bill is at $110,000 and counting.” The caption includes hashtags related to SCAD heart attacks and Cigna.
Woman holds up insurance letter in video
The video shows the woman speaking directly to the camera. She appears to be on a porch, with a brick wall and a window behind her. She told viewers she had a letter to share that she received in the mail from Cigna.
She holds up a document that shows the Cigna logo. She reads from the letter, saying that after carefully reviewing the information, Cigna determined the service was not medically necessary. She said she interpreted this to mean the company did not believe saving her life was medically necessary.
“So they don’t think that saving my life was medically necessary,” she said in the video. She also said, “My total bill so far is currently at $110,000, is how much it costs to save my life.” She added that Cigna does not consider it medically necessary and that she anticipates more bills are coming. Maria’s experience of having her condition dismissed by insurers is one of several healthcare struggles women have shared on TikTok, like a woman who says brain surgery ended symptoms doctors for years called anxiety.
Viewers react in the comments section
The video’s comment section filled up with responses from viewers. One person who said they had 13 years of experience in billing offered advice. “You need to call the hospital and ask them to code it correctly. They will send it back with a medical necessity diagnosis. 13 years in billing here. ✌ Let me know if you need anything else,” the commenter wrote.
Other commenters expressed frustration with insurance companies. One wrote, “Insurance companies need to be sued for the stress and emotional distress they cause.” Another said, “Insurance is a SCAM!” One commenter asked, “Pardon….” Another wrote, “Why are we even paying for insurance? It’s disgusting. Medically necessary??? Omg”
One viewer commented, “I’m too European for this,” referencing healthcare systems outside the United States. The video’s hashtags include #scadheartattack and #scadheartattacksurvivor, which refer to spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a condition that can cause heart attacks.
