Sarkisyan's doctors at the UCLA Medical Center told the family and Cigna that they recommended a liver transplant, and patients in similar circumstances have a six-month survival rate of 65%.

Sarkisyan's doctors at UCLA, including the head of its transplant unit, wrote a letter to protest that the treatment proposed was neither experimental nor unproven and called on Cigna to urgently review its decision.

Cigna HealthCare refused to pay for treatment by citing policy provisions which do not cover services considered experimental, investigational and/or unproven to be safe and/or effective for the patient.

[7] Wendell Potter, a Cigna PR executive, advised the board to cover the cost of Sarkisyan's liver transplant as her situation became increasingly high profile.

[11] Sarkisyan's family spoke out at a New Hampshire rally in support of Senator John Edwards' presidential campaign on January 6, 2008, based on his advocacy of reforming and overhauling the US health care system.

[12][13][14] Cigna PR Executive Wendell Potter resigned shortly after Sarkisyan's death and blew the whistle on the health insurance industry.