When he went to pick up his prescription at a Walgreens in Appleton, Wisconsin, on January 10, 2024, he was met with shocking news.
The pharmacist informed him that his usual medication, which had cost $66.86, would now require him to pay a staggering $539.19.
This drastic change was due to a policy adjustment by OptumRx in the fall of 2023, which led Walgreens to stop covering his usual prescription under insurance.
For five agonizing days, he fought to breathe, relying only on an old emergency inhaler that offered limited relief.
On January 15, 2024, his fight came to a devastating end. He suffered a severe asthma attack that he could not recover from.
His family made the heartbreaking decision to remove life support on January 21, after it was determined there was no chance of recovery.
Now, his devastated loved ones are seeking justice, taking legal action against OptumRx, Walgreens, and Walgreens Boots Alliance.
One key argument is that Cole was not properly informed about the insurance change, which is a direct violation of Wisconsin’s law requiring 30 days’ notice for coverage changes.
According to the lawsuit obtained by Newsweek, the pharmacist at Walgreens should have reached out to Cole’s doctor for alternative treatment options, but failed to do so.
As a result, Cole “repeatedly struggled to breathe, relying solely on his old ‘rescue’ (emergency) inhaler to limit his symptoms, because he did not have a preventative inhaler designed for daily use,”
The case will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Byron Browning Conway, who was appointed by President Biden, according to reports from Law and Crime.
The findings from the Federal Trade Commission, which also accused major players like CVS and Cigna of similar price-gouging tactics, come at a time when UHG is reporting record-breaking profits.
Despite the controversy surrounding Thompson’s death, UHG’s net income still climbed to $5.54 billion in the final quarter of 2024.
The FTC report revealed that the largest pharmacy benefit managers—companies responsible for managing prescription drug benefits for insurance providers—raked in an extra $7.3 billion over five years through inflated drug prices.
The report specifically named OptumRx (a subsidiary of UHG), Cigna’s Express Scripts, and CVS Caremark as major contributors to the problem.
