Young man dies after inhaler price skyrockets from $66 to $539, lawsuit claims
For the parents of 22-year-old Cole Schmidtknecht, the pain of losing their son is compounded by a heartbreaking reality — they believe his death was entirely preventable.
Cole, a young man from Wisconsin with a bright future ahead of him, had lived with chronic asthma since he was an infant, according to The Kansas City Star. Despite his condition, he managed to lead a full life thanks to daily doses of Advair Diskus, a preventative inhaler.
For years, Cole’s medication was affordable and covered by his insurance. That all changed in January 2024, when a trip to Walgreens pharmacy delivered shocking news: his life-saving medication was no longer covered.
The new price? $539.
The day everything changed
Cole visited his local Walgreens on January 10, 2024, to refill his prescription as he always had. But instead of paying his usual $66, he was told his insurance no longer covered Advair Diskus. The pharmacist allegedly told him there were no cheaper alternatives or generics available and failed to contact his doctor or insurance company to seek a solution.
Heartbroken and overwhelmed, Cole left the pharmacy without his medication. Over the following days, he relied on an old emergency inhaler to manage his breathing.
Five days later, tragedy struck.
Cole suffered a severe asthma attack that left him unable to breathe. His roommate rushed him to the emergency room, but he became unresponsive on the way. Doctors tried desperately to revive him, but Cole never regained consciousness. After six days on life support, his parents made the gut-wrenching decision to let him go. Cole was pronounced dead on January 21, 2024.
“This should never have happened”
Cole’s grieving parents have since filed a lawsuit against Walgreens and pharmacy benefit manager OptumRx, accusing them of prioritizing profits over patients.
A Walgreens spokesperson told HuffPost they were unable to comment due to the ongoing litigation.
The lawsuit claims OptumRx updated its formulary in 2024, requiring patients using Advair Diskus or its generic equivalent to obtain prior authorization from a doctor.
Yet Cole was never notified by his insurance or Walgreens that his medication would no longer be covered — a clear violation of state laws, according to the lawsuit.
Attorney Michael Trunk, representing the family, didn’t hold back in his statement:
“The evidence in this case will show that both OptumRx and Walgreens put profits first and are directly responsible for Cole’s death.”
The suit also alleges that OptumRx engaged in a practice called “non-medical switching,” where pharmacy benefit managers push patients to use more expensive medications in exchange for kickbacks from manufacturers. In Cole’s case, OptumRx allegedly only covered two newer brand-name drugs whose manufacturers paid substantial rebates to secure a favorable spot on the formulary.
A call for change
Cole’s tragic story has sparked outrage and calls for reform.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts honored Cole in December during a congressional hearing, urging lawmakers to pass the Pharmacists Fight Back Act. The proposed legislation seeks to end price-gouging practices by pharmacy benefit managers and prevent cases like Cole’s from happening again.
For Cole’s family, the fight is personal. They want justice for their son and hope his story will shine a light on the devastating consequences of a broken healthcare system.
“Our hope is that this lawsuit and Cole’s death will lead them to kind of introspect on their own policies and change their policies going forward,” Schmidtknecht’s family attorney told WMTV.
Let’s make sure Cole’s story is heard. Share this article to spread awareness and start the conversation about challenges in our healthcare system.
