A former UnitedHealthcare employee, Natalie Collins, has shared her deeply emotional and shocking experience working for the company. As a customer service representative for UMR, a division of UnitedHealthcare, she described how her job often involved denying claims, leaving her disillusioned about the company’s priorities. Her story, which she shared in a viral TikTok video, highlights how some insurance companies seem to prioritize profits over people’s well-being.
In her TikTok, Collins opened up about the pain of her job. “Oh my gosh, it was—it was so sad. It was so heartbreaking. I was the bad guy every single day. Does that not feel good to anyone? Like that doesn’t feel good to me,” she said. Despite only working there for nine months, the experience left a lasting impact on her. One case, in particular, deeply affected her. Collins recounted the story of a widow who had lost her husband to pancreatic cancer.
The company refused to pay over $400,000 in claims and even took legal action, demanding that she repay the large amount. The woman was a single mother raising five children. After much effort, Collins was able to secure some funds to help the widow, but the experience was so overwhelming that she eventually decided to leave her job.
Collins also spoke about the toxic work environment at UnitedHealthcare. She explained that supervisors were unsupportive, often exacerbating the stress of her job. “And while I was crying, they were laughing,” Collins shared in an interview with NewsNation’s Natasha Zouves. She described how difficult it was to handle customer frustrations without any meaningful backup. “If [the client wasn’t] liking what we were saying from the script, then we would just call a supervisor, and they would stand behind us.”
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Adding to the stress was what Collins described as deliberate tactics to delay paying claims. “We were told to get the customer off the phone as fast as we could,” she explained. She revealed that claims were frequently rerouted back into the system, a process designed to stall payments for as long as possible. This approach, Collins said, made it even harder for struggling customers to get the help they desperately needed.
UnitedHealthcare has faced increased scrutiny recently following the death of its CEO, Brian Thompson, on December 4th. The suspect in the case, Luigi Mangione, reportedly left a chilling message by writing “Deny, Defend, Depose” on bullet casings found at the crime scene. This phrase is associated with a book detailing how insurance companies avoid paying claims. While Mangione has pleaded not guilty, the incident has drawn public attention to the company’s controversial practices. A poll revealed that 69% of adults believe insurance companies’ methods of denying claims may have contributed to the tragedy.
Collins’ insights reveal the personal toll of a system that seems to be failing. She explained that instead of helping people, the system was causing harm. The case of the widow with five children highlights the severe consequences of profit-driven policies, where families are burdened with financial stress and emotional hardship. At the same time, workers like Collins are pushed to their breaking points, often feeling complicit in a deeply flawed system.
The problems Collins encountered are not isolated to just one company. Her experience reflects larger issues within the U.S. healthcare system. She believes healthcare should prioritize the well-being of patients over financial gain.
There is a pressing need for changes in policies to ensure that healthcare companies prioritize patients and are held accountable for their actions. Practices such as intentionally delaying payments or denying legitimate claims should be banned. Every claim represents a person, and their stories deserve recognition. As Collins’ experience demonstrates, meaningful change is urgently needed.
Featured image via Screengrab
