This is a really tough one to hear. At just 22 years old, Cole Schmidtknecht lost his life after the cost of his inhaler skyrocketed. What should’ve been a routine trip to the pharmacy ended in a heartbreaking tragedy.
Now, his family is taking legal action, but the story is far from over. Let’s dive into what happened.
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Young man faces deadly price hike
Cole had battled chronic asthma since childhood. On January 10, 2024, he walks into Walgreens, all set to grab his inhaler. But then he’s told it’ll cost him $539.19 now. That’s up from $66.86. Yeah, you read that right — a $470 price hike. Absolutely insane.
Insurance policy change causes catastrophe
What happened? Well, Walgreens decided they weren’t going to cover his inhaler anymore after OptumRX, the pharmacy benefits manager, switched things up in the fall of 2023.
No heads-up, nothing. Just boom — new rules and a ridiculous price tag.
Cole couldn’t afford the price increase
He left the store without his medication, and for the next five days, he was just stuck using his emergency inhaler. That’s what he had to get by with. And it was sadly nowhere near enough.
Five days of desperate struggle
Imagine struggling to breathe for five whole days with just a rescue inhaler. That’s exactly what Cole had to do. And then, on January 15, 2024, it all came crashing down.
Cole had an asthma attack that he just couldn’t survive. The paramedics found him blue and unconscious. It was too late.
Family’s heart-wrenching decision
Cole’s family had to make the most heartbreaking decision. They took him off life support on January 21. Can you even imagine? It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.
Legal battle over wrongful death
Now, Cole’s family is suing. They’re going after OptumRX, Walgreens, and the whole Walgreens Boots Alliance. They want justice. And honestly, they deserve it. No one should have to lose their kid over a ridiculous price hike like that.
Lawsuit claims violation of state law
Apparently, the insurance company and pharmacy didn’t follow Wisconsin law. They were supposed to let Cole know 30 days before making any price changes, but nope.
They just hit him with it out of nowhere. That’s illegal, and the family’s calling them out for it.
Pharmacist’s failure to offer alternatives
The lawsuit also says the pharmacist didn’t do their job. They “never provided Cole with any more affordable workarounds to obtain his usual inhaler for his chronic asthma.”
They didn’t even try to reach out to Cole’s doctor about other options. That’s pretty messed up.
Ongoing struggle with emergency inhaler
For those five days, Cole was literally just “relying solely on his old ‘rescue’ (emergency) inhaler to limit his symptoms, because he did not have a preventative inhaler designed for daily use.”
He was basically just hanging on with whatever he could. So incredibly sad.
Larger implications of rising drug costs
And this is where things get even worse. It turns out, UnitedHealth Group, which owns OptumRX, has been overcharging people for meds like crazy. We’re talking some cancer drugs marked up by over 1,000%.
CVS and Cigna are guilty of this too. Meanwhile, UnitedHealth is raking in huge profits. It’s wild. The system is seriously broken.
This is a tragedy that no one should have to face. Hoping this sparks a change before we lose more lives to this mess.
Last Updated on February 8, 2025 by Reem Haqqi
