UnitedHealth Says Hospital Error Led to Call Ackman Criticized

UnitedHealth Group Inc. said a hospital error led to its phone call with a Texas surgeon that was later criticized by billionaire Bill Ackman, who suggested that the insurer overstated profits in a since-deleted post on social media.

Pershing Square’s Ackman said Feb. 7 that he would pay legal bills for Elisabeth Potter, the surgeon who said she was called out of an operating room to justify her patient’s care to the insurer. UnitedHealth hired the Clare Locke firm to counter what it sees as inaccurate social media posts, while Potter has posted a copy of the letter ...