Billionaire William Ackman donates $100,000 to Dr Elizabeth Potter's GoFundMe amid viral plastic surgeon’s fight against insurance giants

William Ackman is the latest person to donate $100,000 to the GoFundMe page set up by plastic surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Potter, who is currently facing financial trouble. Back in January, she posted a video of herself where she stated that she had been interrupted by a call from insurance agents while performing surgery on a patient.

William Ackman is currently the highest donor on the GoFundMe page set up by Dr. Elizabeth Potter. According to CNN, back in January, Dr. Potter was performing breast reconstruction surgery on a cancer patient when she received a call from representatives of United Healthcare, allegedly demanding an explanation as to why the patient would require an overnight stay at the hospital. Soon after this, she uploaded the now-viral video with her own perspective on the matter.

According to her GoFundMe page, United Healthcare later stopped allowing her surgery center to be in their network—something that she alleges happened because of her being a "whistleblower" who revealed how the company deals with their patients.

More about William Ackman and the case of Dr. Elizabeth Potter, as he donates money to her GoFundMe Page

William Ackman, who has a net worth of $9.4 billion, according to Forbes, is the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, a company that he started back in 2004. According to People Magazine, William Ackman recently made his first professional tennis debut at the Hall of Fame Open on 9 July, where he was criticized for his poor performance.

In the men's doubles match, taking place in Newport, William Ackman and a two-time Olympic medalist were paired against Australians Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic, during which Ackman struggled to play. Several people criticized William Ackman's performance, saying that he had obtained the spot without proper merit.

Following the backlash, William Ackman took to X (formerly Twitter), explaining that in the heat of the moment, the pressure overwhelmed him, causing him to freeze. He said:

"I found myself on a tennis court in a live streamed professional tournament with a few hundred in the crowd. Throughout the match, my wrist, arm and body literally froze with the expected negative outcomes. I had difficulty breathing, and it was not a fitness issue. It got a bit better as the match progressed, but I was not able to overcome it. It was a very humbling experience that gives one even more respect for the pros who play for a living in front of the cameras and the crowds."

According to Allure, Dr. Elizabeth Potter, in her Instagram video, criticized how United Healthcare was handling the insurance claims of patients. A month later, she received a letter on behalf of United Healthcare asking her to remove the "defamatory" videos and issue an apology. In her conversation with Allure, Dr. Elizabeth Potter explained her decision to speak out. She said:

"I have the right to speak out and honestly express my experience as a female microsurgeon caring for women affected by breast cancer. I will also exercise that right to speak out to protect patients and providers everywhere. We have all had enough."

Dr. Elizabeth Potter, who runs her own surgery center in Texas, now faces insolvency. According to her GoFundMe page, her center is allegedly no longer part of the United Healthcare system, a move she cited as being a "retaliatory" act. She writes:

"Around the time the post went viral, UNH stopped communication with my consultants, and have not allowed my surgery center to be in network. It is difficult for me to believe that this isn’t retaliation. It’s certainly not in the best interest of their members. By refusing to allow my center to be in network, UNH pressures me to either perform breast reconstruction surgeries in hospital facilities at a significantly higher cost, or to require their members to pay out of network facility penalties, or to ask insured patients affected by breast cancer to pay cash for their care. Their ongoing refusal to allow my surgery center to be in network is punishment for being a whistleblower."

She added:

"UNH is the dominant healthcare company in the United States. By refusing to allow my surgery center to be in network, they damage my ability to run a profitable practice and pay back the money I borrowed and earn back what I have invested. I have started a gofundme as a last resort to pay down some of my debt and avoid insolvency."

Along with William Ackman, several people have shown their support and donated to the GoFundMe page, which has already raised $214,453 out of its $500,000 goal. According to Insurance Journal, this is not the first time William Ackman has shown his support of Dr. Potter.

Back in February, after she was issued a letter from United Healthcare, he tweeted in her defense but later deleted the post. Later, on 7 February, William Ackman explained his decision, saying that he would show his support for her only after he had a better understanding of the claims from both sides.

On 17 February, William Ackman posted a long message on X (formerly Twitter) explaining the situation and showing his full support of Dr. Potter. He said:

"I believe that Dr. Potter told the truth in her initial video and in her statements and advocacy."

According to Reuters, following William Ackman's post, United Healthcare released a statement saying that the call made to Dr. Potter during surgery was a result of hospital staff error. The call, they said, was mistakenly transferred to the operating room department instead of the nurse in charge of the patient's care.

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