This morning I was prepping for a DIEP flap when an orthopedic surgeon sat down beside me and said, "You're not gonna believe what United just did." His patient had waited six months just to see him. He confirmed she needed a hip replacement & she was a good candidate.

I have another crazy story for you. Last week, I met with a young patient who only has one breast after mastectomy and radiation. She can’t have an implant. She needs a complex reconstruction called a stacked DIEP flap—using all of her belly tissue to create one breast.

It feels like I've been going a million miles an hour operating, working & going to conferences. But I just wanted to say, I love this work so much, & I love the people in healthcare. I am so grateful for the nurses, the techs, & team who keep showing up—despite the obstacles.

If I want to care for patients in the U.S., I have to care about insurance. Americans have been paying premiums with an expectation that coverage will provide access to the care they need & choose. A breast cancer diagnosis isn’t just physically devastating, it can be financially devastating too.

Last night, I got a late call from a breast surgeon here in Austin, TX. Her 22-year-old patient— just days away from a mastectomy—found out the plastic surgeon she had been seeing is out-of-network and her insurance doesn’t cover any out-of-network care. So now what?

If you don’t know where you are, how can you know how to get where you’re going? Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we got here. How we let insurance companies that don’t understand the complexity of our work decide what it’s worth.

For the doctors out there: It’s time we talk about how unfair the business of medicine has become for providers. If you’ve tried to negotiate fair pay with insurance—whether it worked or not—I want to hear your story. Tag me or share it in the comments. We can’t fix what we don’t talk about.

Her insurance company denied a stay for a surgery without even knowing what the surgery IS.

I’ve been asked—yet again—to stop in the middle of my surgery day and justify why a patient scheduled for DIEP flap needs an overnight hospital stay. While I’m in the OR doing the hard work of breast reconstruction, I’m also expected to fight the system outside of it.

Sharing this email from the insurance company for transparency. Insurers are not medical providers yet they’re dictating when I can operate based on arbitrary policies. This delay isn’t just frustrating. It’s harmful to my patient. Insurance should not be allowed to practice medicine.

I’m the microsurgeon and insurance companies are telling me when to operate. Insurance companies are practicing medicine—and that’s not okay. Make it make sense.

Stepped out of a new patient’s consult for a peer to peer at the only time United offered me. You may remember an insurance company recently insisting that they’d never interrupt patient care for insurance matters. Reality check, it happens all the time...

Our team has two incredible, full-time professionals—Mary and Ebonie—dedicated to dealing with insurance. They advocate for our patients, so our patients can focus on healing. This week? They’ve been on repeat calls with the same insurer…

After sharing that another patient was denied life-saving care, so many of you asked: What can I do? This is it. There’s a resolution before the House of Representatives that would allow physicians to own hospitals again—something we haven’t been able to do since the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

Another insurance denial. Another patient put at risk. We did everything right. My PA saw a patient with signs of a Deep Venous Thrombosis (a dangerous blood clot). We ordered an ultrasound, confirmed the diagnosis, & prescribed the medication to help prevent dangerous complications.

After cases, I testified in strong support of Senate Bill 1137—because every woman deserves access to breast reconstruction and no one should have to take out loans or make exorbitant cash payments to access the breast reconstruction that’s best for them.

“This isn’t the conversation I imagined having when I graduated from medical school.” I became a surgeon to help people. I never thought I’d be spending so much time fighting insurance companies, just to get my patients the care they deserve.

Access to breast reconstruction is being denied because of poor reimbursement—and it’s a problem we need to address. Today, I saw a 69-year-old patient who was told she couldn’t get a DIEP flap because Medicare doesn’t pay enough.

There is no algorithm that can replace the instincts of an experienced physician when faced with a patient in need. When the doctor who saw this patient in the ER examined her, spoke with her, and decided to admit her, I know that he did so because he knew best how to keep her safe. I am grateful.

I hit a breaking point. I became a doctor to help people—not to fight insurance companies for the care my patients deserve. But lately, that’s what medicine feels like. It’s exhausting. It’s disheartening. And it’s not okay.

Have you ever had to delay or fight for medical care because of insurance? 🔹 Yes, multiple times 🔹 Yes, once 🔹 No, but I know someone who has 🔹 No, I’ve never had issues 💬 Tell me what happened in the comments.

UnitedHealthcare, are you serious? After my last video, they left a callback number—but I still couldn’t reach the right person. If doctors can’t get through, what chance do patients have? What’s the biggest roadblock you’ve faced with insurance? Drop it below. 👇

As a doctor, it’s nearly impossible to reach a real person at an insurance company. But after my last video, United called my office and left their number. I’ll be calling them back tomorrow—let’s see what they have to say…

My patients always come first 💙 For those of you who showed concern for my patient that was in surgery, there was another surgeon in the room and I appreciate all of you for thinking of the patient first! That’s exactly what we should be doing and I’m here for that.

I’ve seen the power of social media in driving real change in healthcare. Patients, providers, and advocates are speaking up—and it’s making an impact. I’m going to start sharing some of my most powerful posts here on Bluesky. Let’s keep the momentum going💙

It’s 2025, and navigating insurance is worse than ever. I had to scrub out mid-surgery to justify a pre-approved DIEP case—while my patient was asleep on the table. The person on the line didn’t even have full access to her medical records.

💥 I’ve been pushing back against insurance for years—but recently, something shifted. 📢 Millions saw my posts. 📰 Major news outlets picked up the story. 🚨 A movement began. People are fed up with a system that puts profits over patients. What’s your biggest insurance frustration? 👇

👋 I’m Dr. Elisabeth Potter, a plastic surgeon specializing in breast reconstruction—fighting for a healthcare system that puts patients first.