Who is Cole Schmidtknecht? The 22-year-old who died after his inhaler price skyrocketed
Cole Schmidtknecht's parents sue after he died, unable to afford his daily inhaler due to a price hike.
The parents of Cole Schmidtknecht have filled a lawsuit following the death of their son after the insurance company stopped covering the cost of his inhaler.
The plaintiffs allege negligence from Optum Rx, the insurance company, and Walgreens pharmacy; as their son died 2 weeks after he stopped taking his medication due to the $500 price increase.
What happened to Cole Schmidtknecht?
Cole Schmidtknecht had been struggling with asthma his whole life. According to his parents, he managed his illness with a daily dose of Advair Diskus, which was essentially fluticasone and salmeterol.
According to the Wisconsin couple, their insurance Optum Rx, which is part of the UnitedHealth Group, did not give Cole a 30-day notice to let him know his medication would no longer be covered. The medication had previously cost between $35 and $66.86, and without insurance, he needed to pay $539.19.
Response from Optum Rx and Walgreens
According to Optum Rx, Walgreens should have contacted Cole's doctor for an alternative which would fall under coverage, but they didn't.
As a result, on January 15, 2024, just 5 days after he left Walgreens empty-handed, Cole had a severe asthma attack and began to asphyxiate. While his roommate tried to drive him to the emergency room, he arrived “unresponsive and pulseless,” and he never woke up again.
According to PEOPLE, representatives of Walgreens were unable to comment on the case due to "pending litigation.”
