Five days later, Cole had a severe asthma attack, stopped breathing and collapsed. According to his family, he suffered cardiac arrest and died due to his asthma. The rescue inhaler was found empty, ...

A federal judge has denied OptumRx’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Wisconsin family after their 22 year-old-son died from an asthma attack days after his inhaler price jumped to over $500, ...

Cole Schmidtknecht. (Courtesy Schmidtknecht Family) That way, patients don’t learn how PBMs make their decisions about drugs and why a medication that had been on the formulary no longer is.

On Jan. 10, 2024, 22-year-old Cole Schmidtknecht went to his pharmacy, the Walgreens at 729 W. Northland Ave. in Appleton, to refill his inhaler prescription. Diagnosed with asthma as a baby, Cole ...

Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, had insurance but couldn’t afford to refill his asthma inhaler after the cost jumped from $70 to more than $500.

The parents of Cole Schmidtknecht are suing Walgreens and OptumRx, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, over the 22-year-old Appleton man's death.