22-Year-Old With Chronic Asthma Died After Inhaler Price Went From $66 to $539: Lawsuit
HuffPost
Cole Schmidtknecht's parents are now suing Walgreens and pharmacy benefit manager OptumRx.
The parents of a 22-year-old Wisconsin man who died after an asthma attack have filed a lawsuit against Walgreens and UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager after they said the price for his medication suddenly rose from $66 to $539.
Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, had lived with asthma since he was a baby, but he was able to manage his symptoms by taking Advair Diskus, a preventative inhaler, every day, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court last week. Since 2023, Schmidtknecht had health insurance through his employer that covered his medication, which cost him no more than $66.86 each month.
However, when Schmidtknecht went to his local Walgreens pharmacy on Jan. 10, 2024, to fill his prescription, he was informed that his medication was no longer covered by his insurance, according to the lawsuit. Advair Diskus would now cost Schmidtknecht $539.19 out of pocket, and the pharmacy allegedly told him there were no cheaper alternatives or generic medications available to him. The lawsuit also says the pharmacist failed to contact Schmidtknecht’s physician or insurance company to seek an alternative.
A spokesperson for Walgreens told HuffPost they could not comment due to the pending litigation.
According to the lawsuit, OptumRx, a company that acts as a middleman between pharmacies, insurance plans and drug companies, updated its 2024 formulary stating that a patient using Advair Diskus or a generic alternative prescription could only have it filled if they obtained prior authorization from a doctor.
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