US EditionWisconsin Man Died of Asthma Attack Days After Inhaler Prices Skyrocketed Without Warning. Now His Family Is Suing His Insurer
- Cole Schmidtknecht, a 22-year-old from Wisconsin, died due to a severe asthma attack after an unexpected 700% price increase for his inhaler, which became unaffordable at over $500.
- His parents, Bil and Shanon Schmidtknecht, are suing Optum Rx and Walgreens for not providing proper notice of changes to his insurance coverage and failures in communication with his doctor.
- The Schmidtknechts are advocating for legislation to require 90 days' notice for medication changes and highlight the role of pharmacy benefit managers in increasing drug prices.
- A January FTC report indicated the largest pharmacy benefit managers have raised costs for many life-saving medications by billions of dollars, despite their claims of providing affordable options.
12 Articles
12 Articles
How Dare PBMs Put Patients' Lives In Danger To Make Them Rich?
I am so grateful that my asthma is mild, because I went through this exact same thing not long ago. Via NBC News: When 22-year-old Cole Schmidtknecht tried to get a refill on the inhaler prescribed by his doctor to prevent asthma attacks, the medication that had formerly cost him less than $70 at his Appleton, Wisconsin pharmacy was now priced at more than $500, according to Cole’s father, Bil Schmidtknecht. Stunned, Cole left the store with a m…
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It’s safe to say insurance companies aren’t exactly popular. While they may be necessary it often feels like policies can be rather predatory, making things harder for everyday people who are just trying to get by. One woman shared her frustrating experience on TikTok after she was slapped with an unexpected $900 fee for her medication. TikTok user @dr.mrs.knits (AKA Alet) explains that her insurance denied her prescription which she had been ta…
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Medical Daily
Latin TimesWisconsin Man Died of Asthma Attack Days After Inhaler Prices Skyrocketed Without Warning. Now His Family Is Suing His Insurer
A 22-year-old Wisconsin man died from an asthma attack days after he couldn't pay for his inhaler due to an unexpected price increase—Now his parents are suing.
22-year-old dies after being unable to afford asthma inhaler
In our new series “The Cost of Denial,” NBC News’ Anne Thompson reports on the young man who went to refill his asthma inhaler only to find it unaffordable because it was no longer covered by his insurance. He left the pharmacy with an emergency inhaler that his father says was found empty by his bed.
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