A 37-year-old Ohio woman says Cigna provided a letter of coverage denial for her recent heart attack treatment, deeming the services “not medically necessary.” Now, she faces hospital bills totaling $110,000 and counting.
On Oct. 12, Maria Simpson (@maresimpson) shared the letter she received in a TikTok that received over 2 million views as of Monday.
“I have a nice little letter to share with you that I got in the mail from my insurance, Cigna,” she said.
Why did Cigna deny her claim?
“They said, after carefully reviewing the information, we determined the service is not medically necessary,” she explained.
The woman questioned how Cigna could consider her emergency treatment unnecessary. “So they don’t think that saving my life was medically necessary,” she said.
She then detailed the expenses associated with her two-day hospital stay. Her treatment included an emergency room visit, a catheterization lab procedure, and additional hospital care.
“My total bill so far is currently at $110,000, [which] is how much it costs to save my life,” she said. “But Cigna doesn’t think it was medically necessary.”
Overwhelmingly, viewers were outraged.
“Insurance companies need to be sued for the stress and emotional distress they cause,” wrote one comment.
“Yet Americans think they’re winning in healthcare,” added another commenter.
However, nearly a week after posting the video, she commented that Cigna had reached out to rectify the situation.
Are these denials common with insurers?
There are many reasons why a health insurance claim may be denied. It is possible that health insurers may deny claims because of coding errors, missing documentation, coverage exclusions, or disagreements over whether a service meets those criteria.
Additionally, claim denials affect millions of insured Americans. According to a 2025 KFF analysis, insurers denied approximately 85 million in-network claims in 2024 across Affordable Care Act marketplace plans. Consumers appealed fewer than 1% of those denials.
Is it legal for Cigna to deny certain claims?
An insurer can legally deny a claim when the denial complies with the policy and applicable law. However, insurers must follow rules governing emergency coverage and claims appeals.
The federal No Surprises Act generally protects privately insured patients from unexpected out-of-network charges for emergency services. It also limits their cost-sharing to in-network rates in covered situations. New York provides additional protections for emergency hospital care.
These protections do not automatically resolve every medical necessity dispute. The woman’s policy, denial letter, and specific treatment claims would determine whether Cigna acted lawfully. The U.S. Department of Labor explains that patients can challenge certain denied benefits in court after completing the required appeals process.
@maresimpson
Subplot reached out to Simpson for comment via TikTok direct message and email, and to Cigna via email.
