US EditionWisconsin couple sues Walgreens and Optum Rx over son's death
- A Wisconsin man named Cole Schmidtknecht died after the price of his inhaler increased from $67 to $540, leaving him unable to afford it and struggling to breathe for five days before suffering a fatal asthma attack on January 15, 2024.
- Schmidtknecht's parents filed a lawsuit against Walgreens and OptumRx, claiming negligence and wrongful death due to a lack of notice about insurance changes and alternative medications.
- The lawsuit alleges that the pharmacist did not provide affordable alternatives for Schmidtknecht's inhaler, violating Wisconsin state law.
- OptumRx expressed sadness over Schmidtknecht's death but stated they had previously provided him with a covered inhaler option.
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78 Articles
FOX Carolina
22-year-old died of asthma attack after inhaler price went up over $500, parents say
A young man died of an asthma attack after the price of his inhaler went up over $500.
Man dies of asthma attack after inhaler cost skyrockets to more than $500 - City Desk ABQ
By Jonathan Edwards · The Washington Post (c) 2025Cole Schmidtknecht expected to pay $66.86 for a three-month supply of his preventative asthma inhalers in January 2024 when he went to his Walgreens pharmacy in Appleton, Wisconsin. The pharmacy allegedly told him his insurance no longer covered the medication, so he would have to pay the full cost.The bill: $539.19, according to a recently filed lawsuit.Schmidtknecht, 22, couldn’t afford that, a…
According to the insurance company, the pharmacy should have contacted his doctor and found an alternative, but it did not.
When the Cost of His Asthma Inhaler Went Up $500, His Parents Claim He Couldn't Pay. Two Weeks Later He Was Dead at 22
Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, couldn't pay for his daily inhaler due to the “prohibitively expensive” price increase, but then he died of an asthma attack, per a lawsuit filed by his parents legacy.com Cole Schmidtknecht was 22 when he died of an asthma attack.The parents of Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, are suing his medical insurance company and pharmacy after he died of an asthma attack, allegedly due to the new cost of his inhalerThe price of Cole's inh…
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