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Patient Dies by Suicide After ‘Insurance Issue’ Delayed Medicine for Lung Disease Flare
KFF Health News • • general
Key Points:
- Kenney Blewett, diagnosed with lung disease and COPD, experienced worsening breathing flare-ups in 2025, leading to a prescription for a new medication that was delayed due to insurance and prior authorization issues.
- The delay in filling Blewett’s prescription at Walgreens involved confusion over Medicare Part B and Part D coverage, missing diagnostic codes, and communication breakdowns between the pharmacy and pulmonologist’s office.
- Despite a 2025 voluntary pledge by insurers to reduce barriers like prior authorization, these hurdles remain widespread and unregulated federally, complicating patient access to necessary treatments.
- The complexity of Medicare rules and the introduction of AI in preapproval processes are expected to increase difficulties for patients and providers navigating insurance approvals.
- Blewett died by suicide shortly after the medication delay, with his wife Cindy expressing that timely access to his prescribed treatments might have prevented his death.
