HealthNews

Patient dies by suicide after “insurance issue” delayed medicine for lung disease flare-ups

Kyle, Texas — Kenney Blewett was diagnosed with lung disease more than a decade ago but started experiencing flare-ups this year that made him feel like he couldn’t breathe.
Blewett described those flare-ups as “the scariest thing in the world,” said his wife, Cindy, adding that while the episodes typically lasted no more than a few minutes, they had become more frequent.
On top of that, simple tasks, like taking out the trash, left Blewett winded. He rarely left the house and had recently lost 45 pounds. “That sounds like cancer,” Cindy remembered one of his doctors said. It was clear, she said, that her husband’s poor health, tied to decades of smoking, was getting worse.
That’s why, on June 2, Blewett’s pulmonologist wrote him a prescription for a new medication to improve the terrifying breathing issues caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. But the prescription wasn’t immediately filled. Two days after that doctor appointment, Blewett received an email from Walgreens explaining that, “due to an insurance issue that we’re working to resolve,” the medication was delayed.
“He was hopeful that it would work,” Cindy said of the drug, two months after her husband’s death. “I wish we had the chance to find out.”
Insurance delays and denials have become an infamous feature of the American healthcare system, with nearly 7 in 10 adults calling them “a major problem,” in a January KFF Health Tracking Poll.
In June 2025, six months after UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was shot in New York, the Trump administration announced a highly publicized industry pledge, signed by dozens of major health insurers, to remove some of the barriers that block or delay patients from accessing doctor-recommended care. And yet that pledge was voluntary, and it carries no penalties if companies fail to comply. Indeed, a report published by KFF Health News in July found that some insurers that signed the pledge would not implement all the promised initiatives as originally outlined.
In recent years, lawmakers in most states, including Texas, have attempted to address delays and denials by regulating the insurance industry in the absence of substantial federal reform. But most health insurance plans, including traditional Medicare policies and employer-sponsored offerings, which together cover more than half of all Americans, typically aren’t under state jurisdiction.
Even some medical office staff and pharmacy employees find the patchwork of state and federal insurance rules and regulations confusing, a problem that is poised to become more complicated as artificial intelligence plays a larger role in approving and processing claims.
“It’s just gotten completely out of hand,” said Matt Toresco, CEO of Archō, a patient advocacy and consulting company. He argued that patients need more assistance facing insurance hurdles.
The Blewetts’ story illustrates how navigating these complexities remains a herculean task for patients and their caregivers.
Cindy has sought answers from Medicare, Kenney’s private Part D drug plan, his pulmonologist’s office, and Walgreens. She still has questions about who was responsible for the medication delay and how the holdup could have been prevented.
If the COPD flare-up Blewett experienced on the afternoon of Sunday, June 7, could have been avoided, she wondered, would he still have chosen to die by suicide that night?
“Complex and convoluted”
During that first week of June, Cindy said her husband repeatedly asked if his prescription — a liquid medication meant to be inhaled through the nebulizer machine Kenney owned — was ready to be picked up from Walgreens.
Cindy said she wasn’t initially surprised or worried by the delay. Since its acquisition by a private equity firm last year, Walgreens has cut thousands of jobs across the country, according to the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. Cindy said in August that their Walgreens pharmacy in Kyle seemed to her to have been understaffed for months, and that prescriptions were being filled more slowly.
When Cindy called the pharmacy a few days after Kenney’s appointment to find out more about the insurance delay, she said, a Walgreens employee told her the prescription required prior authorization. Also called preapproval or precertification, prior authorization is a practice widely used by health insurers that requires medical providers to seek permission before their patients may receive covered treatment.
But Cindy didn’t know which of Kenney’s insurers required prior authorization for this medication.
For years, she had helped manage multiple policies on behalf of her husband. Kenney was insured by Medicare Parts A and B, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older or with disabilities. But he also had a private Part D plan to cover drug costs through Wellcare Value Script, as well as a Medicare supplement plan through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas — also called a “Medigap” plan — that paid for other out-of-pocket costs.
Initially, Cindy assumed that Kenney’s Part D plan had invoked prior authorization for his new medication. But because it was a liquid that is inhaled through a nebulizer machine, this drug was one of relatively few covered by Medicare Part B’s durable medical equipment benefit, not Part D.
The federal government had no record showing that this prescription had been billed to Kenney’s Part B policy, the Medicare agency told Cindy over the phone, she said.
Sarah Tanner and Myriea Amaya, spokespeople for Centene, Wellcare Value Script’s parent company, would not answer questions for this article.
After Kenney’s death, when Blewett sought clarification at the Walgreens pharmacy, she said the employee “kept saying different things.” She recalled his explaining that the prescription was submitted to Medicare Part B but without a necessary diagnostic code that the doctor should have included.
Carmen Lopez, a spokesperson for Walgreens, told KFF Health News in late-September that the company “cannot comment on matters involving specific individuals.”
Subsequently, Cindy said, a district pharmacy supervisor for Walgreens reached out by phone, and told her the pharmacy tried to process the prescription through Part B on June 2, the same day as the pulmonologist appointment, but that the prescription was missing a diagnostic code from the physician. The supervisor said Walgreens sent a request for that code to the pulmonologist’s office later that day, Cindy recalled.
Kenney’s pulmonologist — Rajesh Shetty of LungDocs — did not respond to phone or email messages from KFF Health News. But Cindy said an employee at the practice told her they did not see a fax from Walgreens asking for a diagnostic code for the prescription.
Meanwhile, it couldn’t have been an issue with Kenney’s Medigap plan, since those policies don’t require prior authorization.
“Short of getting attorneys involved,” Cindy said, “I’m not sure how to find out what really happened.”
More red tape ahead
Confusion surrounding these Part B and Part D distinctions is common, said Mike Hess, senior director of patient outreach and education at the nonprofit COPD Foundation. “Medicare has gotten to be so complex and convoluted over the years,” he said, that even medical office staff and pharmacy employees often misunderstand the nuances.
And with the introduction of AI to the preapproval process, navigating insurance hurdles will likely get more complex for Medicare beneficiaries, doctors say.
Historically, traditional Medicare, unlike Medicare Advantage, used prior authorization sparingly. But in January, Medicare launched a pilot program in six states — Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington — testing the use of AI to preapprove some healthcare services.
It is intended to “root out waste in Original Medicare,” CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz has said, but physicians and patients say the program is creating more red tape for Medicare beneficiaries and leading to inappropriate denials. The pilot program does not currently impose prior authorization requirements on COPD medications, but industry experts expect the scope of the initiative will grow to include more services and states.
On the night of June 7, hours after her husband’s last COPD flare-up, Cindy Blewett was sitting on their back porch when she heard a loud noise. She assumed a picture had fallen off the wall in the living room. In fact, it was a gunshot. She discovered Kenney’s body in their bedroom.
“I can’t tell you how horrible it was,” Cindy said.
She said her husband had struggled with his mental health for a long time and had attempted suicide once before, years ago. His deteriorating health only made things worse, she said.
Kenney confirmed that much in a note he left. He told Cindy that she was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother but that his health was too poor to continue living.
A second COPD medication, which his pulmonologist ordered directly from the drug manufacturer during the June 2 appointment, arrived several weeks after Kenney’s suicide, she said.
“Perhaps, just perhaps,” Cindy said, “if he had received both medications in a timely manner, he would be here today, and we would have had many more years together.”
Do you have an experience with prior authorization you’d like to share? Click here to tell KFF Health News your story.

HealthNews

Health officials warn Marion residents after rabid raccoon found

MARION, Mass. —
A raccoon found in Marion, Massachusetts, has tested positive for rabies, prompting the town to issue a rabies advisory.
According to the Marion Board of Health, a raccoon that was “acting oddly” near Point Road and the water tower tested positive for rabies.
What should Marion residents know about the rabies advisory?
Town officials ask the public to stay vigilant and watch for wildlife showing signs of rabies and to refrain from interacting with wild animals.
Anyone who encounters an animal that may be infected with rabies should not approach it, keep a safe distance and call Animal Control at 508-748-1212 or 911.
What animals are most likely to carry rabies in Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, animals most likely to be found infected with rabies include raccoons, bats, skunks, foxes and woodchucks, also known as groundhogs. Cats are the domestic animals most frequently found to be rabid due to lower vaccination rates compared with dogs.
What are the signs of rabies in animals?
Signs of rabies in animals can include abnormal or aggressive behavior; lethargy, weakness or paralysis; self-mutilation; seizures; excessive salivation; and difficulty breathing or swallowing. Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease caused by a virus carried in the saliva of infected animals. It can spread to people and other animals through a bite or when saliva is introduced into an open wound or the eyes, nose or mouth.
How effective is treatment after rabies exposure?

HealthNews

7 surprising ways GLP-1 drugs may protect your body beyond weight loss

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GLP-1 medications may provide health benefits that extend beyond weight loss, according to a growing body of research.
From reducing cardiovascular risks to potentially easing joint pain and inflammation, studies suggest these drugs may affect multiple systems throughout the body.
Here are seven potential benefits beyond shedding pounds.
POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS STRATEGY SHOWS SURPRISING POTENTIAL FOR CHRONIC PAIN RELIEF
No. 1: Protecting heart health
Research suggests semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — may provide cardiovascular benefits beyond those associated with weight loss.
A major study published in The Lancet found that semaglutide reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death among people with existing cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity. The benefits were observed across different body weights and were not fully explained by weight loss.
No. 2: Reducing joint pain and improving mobility
GLP-1 medications have been linked to reduced joint pain, although researchers are still investigating how much of the benefit comes from weight loss versus other effects.
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The STEP 9 clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that semaglutide significantly reduced knee osteoarthritis pain and improved physical function among adults with obesity.
No. 3: Promoting kidney health
GLP-1 medications may help protect kidney function through several mechanisms, including improvements in blood sugar, blood pressure and inflammation.
GLP-1 BOOM COULD RESHAPE RESTAURANT BARS AS DINERS CUT BACK ON ALCOHOL
In the landmark FLOW trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, semaglutide reduced the risk of major kidney-related complications and cardiovascular death by 24% among patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
No. 4: Reducing liver inflammation and scarring
MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, is a more severe form of fatty liver disease involving inflammation and liver cell damage.
Research suggests GLP-1 medications may help improve liver health, although the extent to which these benefits occur independently of weight loss remains under investigation.
A clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that semaglutide improved liver tissue findings among patients with MASH, including reductions in inflammation and liver scarring.
Researchers found that 62.9% of semaglutide recipients experienced resolution of MASH without worsening liver fibrosis, compared with 34.3% receiving placebo.
No. 5: Reducing respiratory flare-ups
Real-world research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress has linked GLP-1 medications to fewer asthma attacks and COPD flare-ups.
Researchers believe the drugs’ potential anti-inflammatory effects may play a role, although additional studies are needed to determine whether the medications directly improve respiratory health.
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No. 6: Supporting mental health and curbing addiction
The brain contains GLP-1 receptors in regions involved in regulating appetite, emotions, motivation and responses to rewards.
Emerging research suggests semaglutide may have potential benefits for mental health and addiction.
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An observational study published on the preprint server medRxiv linked semaglutide use to lower rates of substance-related and mood disorders. However, the findings have not been peer-reviewed and do not establish that the medication caused the reductions.
No. 7: Soothing severe skin conditions
GLP-1-based medications are also being investigated for their potential benefits in inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis.
A clinical trial published in JAMA Dermatology found that adding tirzepatide to an existing psoriasis treatment improved skin clearance among adults with moderate to severe psoriasis and overweight or obesity.
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Researchers are continuing to investigate whether these benefits result from weight loss, reduced inflammation or a combination of factors.
The effects of GLP-1 medications can vary by drug and individual, and patients should consult a healthcare provider about potential risks and benefits.

HealthNews

Can Pennsylvania’s deadly measles outbreak be stopped? CDC steps in to help

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending one of its scientists to Pennsylvania to help curb the state’s growing measles outbreak, a CDC spokesperson said Thursday. That person, a “disease detective” within the agency’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, is scheduled to arrive later this week.
It’s the CDC’s first in-person assistance to the state after a social media feud in August between Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The two traded jabs following a press briefing where Shapiro announced that two unvaccinated people had died of measles complications and accused Kennedy of spreading vaccine misinformation.
“I made very clear that his actions and the rhetoric that’s coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across America, particularly right here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said during the briefing.
Kennedy then suggested that the deaths may have been “fabricated,” and that Shapiro was seeking to profit from them politically.

HealthNews

Mom of 6 Sues Doctors, Hospital After Hysterectomy Allegedly Leads to Paralysis, Quadruple Amputations

NEED TO KNOW
Mom of six Trisha Stevens has filed a lawsuit after she developed sepsis following a hysterectomy
Stevens underwent multiple amputations and became paralyzed after she claims doctors were negligent in providing prompt care, according to the lawsuit
The Portland, Ore., mom is seeking $68.5 million in damages from her medical providers
An Oregon woman underwent multiple amputations and is now paralyzed from the lower back down after she claims her medical teams ignored signs she’d developed a serious infection, per a lawsuit.
Portland mom of six, Trisha Stevens, 48, underwent a hysterectomy on Oct. 4, 2024, at Adventist Health Portland, after struggling with abnormal uterine bleeding and adenomyosis, per the complaint.
Stevens claims that four days after the surgery, test results showed inflammation, but her doctor, who is named in the suit, allegedly did not review the results or take “any action in response to them, including communicating the results to Ms. Stevens or initiating any additional treatment, follow-up, monitoring based on those findings.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Adventist Health Portland, who is not named in the suit, for comment.
Two weeks later, on Oct. 19, Stevens was walking down the bleachers at her son’s football game, when she “experienced a sudden tearing and popping sensation in her lower abdomen, followed by vaginal bleeding,” per the suit. Three days later, Stevens called the office of the doctor who performed the hysterectomy, who is named in the lawsuit. Stevens allegedly reported “bright red vaginal bleeding, passage of a blood clot the size of a baseball, a low-grade fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramping.”
She was told by a nurse to rest and hydrate, and was not directed to an emergency room, the suit says. But her condition continued to decline. On Oct. 22, Stevens went to the emergency department at Legacy Mount Hood, where she was found to have a significantly elevated heart rate and low blood pressure. She was also experiencing severe menstrual bleeding and was “saturating vaginal pads with blood at a rate of three per hour.”
She was diagnosed with “peritonitis, lactic acid acidosis, and AKI (acute kidney injury), with septic shock and bacteremia,” which can be life-threatening. But she was allegedly not given antibiotics until the following day. Later, she underwent surgery. But by then, her infection had progressed to the point that amputation was recommended.
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On Nov. 6, two months after her initial surgery, Stevens had both her legs amputated above the knee. She later had her right hand amputated at the wrist, and her left thumb, as well as fingers on the left hand.
Inadequate blood supply to her spinal cord caused her to become paralyzed from the lower back down, according to the lawsuit. Portions of her lips and tongue were amputated, the suit says. She also had acute kidney injury, a fungal infection, and rhabdomyolysis.
A representative for Legacy Health, which is named in the lawsuit, told PEOPLE, “We are deeply saddened by what Ms. Stevens and her family have experienced, and we extend our compassion to them. Because this matter is now in litigation, we cannot comment on the specific allegations or care involved.”
Stevens is seeking $68.5 million.
“This infection did not just make me sick, it attacked my body so violently that I went into septic shock and multi-organ failure, and I have spent every day since living with what survival cost me,” Stevens tells PEOPLE in a statement. “I cannot fully close my mouth, I struggle to speak and swallow, and the damage and constriction from necrosis and scarring have affected my gums and teeth, leaving me needing dental treatment. I live with chronic pain, wounds, recurring infections, and bowel and bladder problems that require daily care, planning, and help.”
“When I look in the mirror, my eyes fill with tears because I see a body altered from head to toe. The injuries are visible, but the emotional damage is often hidden. Every day, I grieve the person I was, the body I once lived in, and the independence my family and I had before this happened,” Stevens tells PEOPLE.
“Depression is a real battle as I try to process losses that touch every part of my life, but I keep fighting for my husband, my children, and the life we are trying to rebuild together.”

HealthNews

Big Bear bald eagle Jackie’s cause of death revealed

The viral bald eagle known as Jackie, who lived in California’s Big Bear Valley, died of multiple causes, according to a new necropsy report.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released the necropsy results this week in partnership with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Ojai Raptor Center after testing of Patient 26-519, more commonly known as Jackie, was completed.
The necropsy found that Jackie had multiple conditions, including a type of infectious avian flu. She died in August following an injury sustained in a fight with other birds.
“Jackie’s necropsy confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) as the primary underlying cause of her decline,” Steve Kubiski, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s director of disease investigations, said in a statement. “In an uncommon presentation of the virus, the infection caused a severe ulcer in her stomach that led to persistent internal bleeding, anemia, and the development of bacterial sepsis.”
According to the necropsy report, Jackie’s chronic condition led to secondary bacterial infection, severe inflammation and the development of blood clots. Toxicology testing also revealed that Jackie had environmental contaminants and traces of a rodenticide called brodifacoum in her liver.
“Together, the findings showed that Jackie was suffering from multiple severe and interconnected disease processes that had been developing over time and ultimately led to her decline and death,” CDFW said.
The CDFW also noted that Jackie’s remains were cremated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Eagle Repository.
“We’re grateful to everyone who cared for her and worked to support her well-being. Understanding the results of these tests is an important part of learning from this case and can help inform the care and treatment of other eagles and wildlife in the future,” CDFW Director Meghan Hertel said in a statement.
Jackie was one-half of the bald eagle duo that went viral and gained worldwide popularity in 2023. She and her partner, Shadow, were the stars of a San Bernardino National Forest livestream operated by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley. They welcomed five eaglets together.