teen dies after insurance company denies transplant

[Brian K Beckett]

Teen Dies After Transplant Funds Nixed
Southern California Teen Dies Hours After Insurance Company Reverses Decision on Transplant
The Associated Press
GLENDALE, Calif.


A 17-year old died just hours after her health insurance company reversed its decision not to pay for a liver transplant that doctors said the girl needed.

Nataline Sarkisyan died Thursday night at about 6 p.m. at University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. She had been in a vegetative state for weeks, said her mother, Hilda.

"She passed away, and the insurance (company) is responsible for this," she said.

Nataline had been battling leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant from her brother. She developed a complication, however, that caused her liver to fail.

Doctors at UCLA determined she needed a transplant and sent a letter to CIGNA Healthcare on Dec. 11. The Philadelphia-based health insurance company denied payment for the transplant.

On Thursday, about 150 teenagers and nurses protested outside CIGNA's office in Glendale. As the protesters rallied, the company reversed its decision and said it would approve the transplant.

Despite the reversal, CIGNA said in an e-mail statement before she died that there was a lack of medical evidence showing the procedure would work in Nataline's case.

"Our hearts go out to Nataline and her family, as they endure this terrible ordeal," the company said. " ... CIGNA HealthCare has decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant."

Officials with CIGNA could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night.



Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures



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[kcredden]

I better not say anything, less I be kicked and banned from the BBS for life...

- Kc

[Bengals_Mama]

This kind of thing really makes me mad! I know some of you don't want to hear this, but it's exactly why we need Universal Healthcare. Why is it that Canadians can go for any kind of healthcare needs they may have, and not have to have a special insurance, ior pay anything??? Why can't we do that, other than our government being too buddy-buddy with the Insurance companies???

[kcredden]

I've had some time to cool down on this topic, and basically this is why I'm sick and tired of big business, AND the government. To both, we're nothing more than wallets. We don't have any rights, corporations act like para-police, and the government turns a blind eye. Heck, corporations act like para-government's. (Just look it all up on the web, it's out there.)

I was reading this month's Consumer Reports, about Health insurance companies. One person cannot get coverage, because he's diabetic. Now that hit close to me, for like him (if he's not lying) we both take care of ourselves, check our levels regularly, and do everything to keep as complication free as possible. (my last A1c was 5.7 - non diabetic levels) But just the idea that he's diabetic, automatically cuts him off. That scares me, for I got insurance, but only because I had it before I was rxed. So I'm virtually locked into Assurent.

What makes me really sick of the government, is when Bush or any congressman says anything about universal health care, they act like someone peed, and pooed into their dinner and was just told. Watch 'em sometime. They act disgusted! I've asked many times. What is so blamed, wrong about universal heath care? Yes, it'll raise taxes (which is going to happen, we're spending ourselves into a depression folks.) Might make heath care no better, but at least we can get it, when we need it. No child should have to die cause of some greedy insurance company, or for that matter any hospital/doctor that's more interested in their bottom line. (Not saying that's the reason for the death, but I can see it happening everywhere.) There is a thing called the Hippocratic oath, and it doesn't mention a thing about if you can pay. I wonder at times if it should be called the Hypocrite oath instead.

Now here is another thing. There's a growing movement that will force people to buy basic health insurance. Ok, that's nice. What do you do, if you can't afford bread? Seniors have to make a choice spending for groceries/Utilities/rent or drugs. Because that medicare drug plan that congress crowed over, was done not to help seniors, but - you guessed it - to help big pharma. So I ask; if you HAVE to buy health insurance, how are you going too? I got a great idea, why don't we force the drug companies to compete, like they do in other countries with governments that isn't paid off like ours is? Why don't we have universal health care? Paid for by the corporations that are taking our jobs overseas to make junk in sweat shops? They can afford it! Tax the rich too.

At least one thing about this - you wouldn't be turned down for coverage, for a pre-existing illness, like diabetes. I see people and families all the time walking because they can't buy car insurance - that's mandatory car insurance. That's another thing that smells like what the insurance companies brought out. If you can't pay for the car insurance, you don't drive. What do you do when you have diabetes? Just get a cure? I'm still waiting for that.

There IS one good thing that's come from heath care being impossible to afford; It's forcing folks off their lazy butts, and getting exercise, eating better, and such. But of course, that wouldn't help that girl.

I hope that the family sues this company into bankruptcy. That's the only thing the corporations are worried about, so it should be done.

Sorry for the rant, but someone's got to say it.

Like TK says; vote out every congressman who is bought-n-paid-for.

- Kc

[towboatinwife]

Dont you know that now a days its about MONEY MONEY MONEY...Life means nothing anymore. Sadly that is what the world has come to.

[mark]

............Hmmm, if we do get the gov't universal healthcare, just think, we don't need the insurance companies anymore. They just go bye-bye. No reason to have them.

1000's more folks unemployed.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but , gov't universal healthcare isn't for sure............see ya mark

[Brian K Beckett]

Well mark you said before that would create more people going to the doctor for stupid things. I guess the people in the insurance business can switch to the medical profession and fill the void. Heck according to this article they are allready acting like trained doctors, Ya know with making life and death decisions and all.

[tkcomer]

Go rent the movie Sicko if you want to get riled up. I think it was Thomas Friedman that mentioned we are being taxed to pay for the health care in all those other countries. They don't need to spend much of their budget on the military since we provide military coverage for them. So they spend that money on universal health care for their citizens. We spend close to 25% of our budget on the military. If we cut that back to about 10 to 12% like most countries, we could have health care without a tax increase. But, the liberal spending ways of the Republicans are driving this country close to bankruptcy. You'd have a hard fight on your hands to end all the government contracts they've created for their friends.

[mark]

Well mark you said before that would create more people going to the doctor for stupid things.

That we are in total agreement with.

If gov't health care were in place this person who died probably wouldn't have had a chance anyway. Remember.......they will have to stand in line behind those with sniffles, splinters in fingers & hang nails....not to mention the drunks & those who has overdosed.

That can be a loooooong wait..........see ya mark